Milo and the Blue Umbreon
by NanobotEX
Summary: Milo is about to embark on his Pokémon journey, when he unexpectedly makes a new friend. His journey begins ten years after the exploits of Ash Ketchum, and he discovers that Pokémon journeys are not as simple as they once were. Milo may soon find himself pitted against forces beyond anything he had imagined! (Not too much Romance, just enough to keep things interesting)
1. Chapter 1 - The Blue Umbreon

Marin 7

Milo and the Blue Umbreon

Milo scuffed his foot aimlessly on the cobbled sidewalk of downtown Jubilife City, one hand shoved into his pocket, the other holding the cheap taco that was his dinner. He walked with his head down, headed nowhere in particular. He'd only just turned 16, but he'd be graduating tomorrow. He didn't much care. In fact, he almost dreaded it. He could see it already, his parents would be there to see him off on his great journey, and he'd be expected to hit the proverbial road towards Sandgem Town (actually he'd take a short airplane flight, for safety reasons) to see the Professor and get a starter Pokémon of his own.

Somehow the thought of choosing a Pokémon someone else caught as his own companion made his stomach churn. A Pokémon partner should be just that, a partner. Not a one-in-three choice based on statistical analysis or some inane personal preference. His teachers kept saying he was just scared because he hadn't decided yet, that he was making up these ideas to rationalize his own fear and indecision. Once he picked Turtwig, Piplup, or Chimchar, he'd feel much better about all this. That was what they kept saying, but he'd always felt this way about Pokémon and trainers. He didn't want a Pokémon he hadn't first personally befriended.

Sighing, he bit into his taco. Suddenly a noise came from the alley to his right,

"Br-r-r-r-ee!"

He whirled to face it, but couldn't see anything, until he spotted a blue streak of something disappearing around the far corner. Strange, but perhaps some careless family had left their pet Pokémon out, or it was just a stray wild one lost in the city. Whatever.

As he continued on his way to nowhere, Milo's mind turned sullenly back to his impending departure. He really wouldn't miss the academy all that much, but it still felt strange to leave. After all, he'd been there for over a decade now, since he was five. That was how the Jubilife Pokémon Trainer Academy, the JPTA, had always worked: It was a boarding school for children who demonstrated 'early potential', meaning they had a natural talent for training Pokémon. How that was determined in five-year-olds was anybody's guess, but he'd been offered a spot and his family had proudly shipped him off to Jubilife, and now he only saw them a couple times a year, on designated family visit days.

They'd be there tomorrow, certainly, as well as all his teachers and many of his classmates. Milo wished it could be a more private affair; he especially didn't want his classmates there. They'd likely jeer at him one last time, or just look on in disinterested, awkward silence. He'd always been rejected for the strange way he treated and thought about Pokémon. They especially disliked his 'weird ideas' because they seemed to work, he almost always beat his companions in practice battles by focusing more on each individual Pokémon than just its species and type.

There was that odd noise again, from out in front of him,

"Br-r-r-r-ee! Br-ee-br-r-r-ee!"

He looked up from his musings in time to see a black shape, with blue highlights, definitely a Pokémon, dart across the sidewalk and down the next alley. Was…was that Pokémon following him? What kind of Pokémon was it? It wasn't one he was immediately familiar with, which was unusual as he knew almost any Pokémon on sight, like the Zubat fluttering about under the street lamp across the road, or the flocks of Starly that laid claim to Jubilife's rooftops. He made a mental note to look it up later and then kept walking.

Soon enough, he got back to the JPTA, having just finished his taco, and was immediately greeted by the various Pokémon pets that the students and teachers all helped take care of. Buneary and Shinx almost fell over each other scrambling down the entrance hall to jump on him. Munchlax tried to come down the stairs a bit too fast, and toppled over, rolling and tumbling and landing in a jovial heap right at Milo's feet. He knelt down and hugged them and let them climb all over him.

"Ever the pets' favorite, Milo. Ready for tomorrow?"

His favorite teacher, Mrs. Ketchum, was smiling at him from the stairwell. Her son, Ash, was widely considered the very best Pokémon trainer, like no-one ever was. In fact, he'd visited once, a few years ago. Milo could still recall being an awestruck twelve-year-old, shaking hands gingerly with the best Pokémon trainer ever to have lived, and waving excitedly at his famous Pikachu. Mrs. Ketchum was no trainer however, and instructed the students on proper Pokémon care.

"No, I'm really not ready", Milo answered her, his shoulders drooping, "I would still rather have a real partner as my first Pokémon, not just a standard issue starter from the lab. Like your son's Pikachu, you know?"

Mrs. Ketchum had always been the most understanding of Milo, and she was his closest confidant at the JPTA.

"I know how you feel, Milo. You want a real bond with a Pokémon, not just a bond enough to battle and train. But that kind of bond doesn't just happen; even Ash and Pikachu had a rocky beginning to their partnership, and look where they are now!"

"I've heard about that, Mrs. Ketchum, but it still just feels weird to pick my first Pokémon based on type and statistics and all that. I want the Pokémon I can be the best friends with, but there's no way to tell that."

With a sympathetic grin, Mrs. Ketchum pulled him in for a hug and reassured him, "I understand. That's what separates you from other Trainers, Milo. Hold onto that."

She now pulled away from him, and holding his shoulders, said in a more serious tone, "I know starting something this big is always tough, but remember that this is only a beginning, your whole journey is still ahead of you no matter what happens. Okay?"

With a deep breath, Milo knelt back down to pet the grateful Shinx, and smiled, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Mrs. Ketchum."

"Of course, Milo, I'm always here for you. Now head to your room, you should be asleep soon so you're ready to go in the morning."

Feeling marginally better, as he always did after talking to Mrs. Ketchum, Milo went down the hall to his room and began to get settled for the night. He was about to jump into his bed when he heard a sound at his ground floor window, like a soft tapping. He peeked through his blinds to see a Pokémon pushing on the outside glass with its two front paws. It looked like the Pokémon that had been following him earlier as he walked home!

Its body was jet black, except for neon blue rings that wrapped around its ears and tail, and equally blue circles on the outside of its front and back hips, and on its forehead. Its yellow-brown eyes were focused intently as it pushed repeatedly on the unyielding glass. It looked a bit smaller than a Luxio.

Curiosity kicked in after a moment of shock, and Milo hesitantly lifted the window open. As soon as it had enough space, the mysterious Pokémon squirmed into Milo's room. It cried happily as it wrapped itself affectionately around his legs, its ears just reaching up past his knees.

"Br-r-r-r-eeeee! Breeooooooon!"

"H-hey there… are you lost? Umm, are you looking for something?"

The Pokémon jumped happily on his bed and looked at him, swishing its tail back and forth, its neon blue stripes and rings pulsing with a warm glow.

"What kind of Pokémon are you, anyway? And can you get off my bed? I need to sleep there. I need to be ready for tomorrow."

It seemed to understand him, but chose to simply move aside to the foot of his bed. Still unsure of what to do, Milo sat down on the bed as well, opposite the Pokémon, who immediately hopped into his lap and made itself comfortable, as if it were assumed that this was perfectly normal. Having not the heart to disturb it, Milo reached carefully to the tablet on his bedside table and began trying to find out what exactly this Pokémon was.

He first searched through the official Sinnoh Pokémon listing, but couldn't find it. He sighed, and began digging through every National Pokedex listing he could find, from Kanto to Kalos. Eventually, he found a Pokémon called Umbreon that was supposedly native to Johto. Supposedly it had been spotted in Sinnoh before, but only very rarely. The other problem was that every picture of Umbreon Milo could find showed yellow rings and stripes, but this Umbreon instead was bright blue.

After trying and failing to think of a good reason for this discrepancy, Milo allowed himself a small smile.

 _Maybe_ , he thought to himself, _maybe you're just different. Like me. I guess that makes us a matching pair of misfits, huh?_

He did a bit more research and found that based on its eye color and size, this was a female Umbreon, which was in and of itself a rarity. He found himself hoping that she would stick around with him, so he could give her a name and take care of her.

She was by now sound asleep, so Milo stretched his legs out without disturbing her and laid back to get some sleep himself. All of a sudden tomorrow seemed a lot more exciting, with a real Pokémon partner having dropped out of nowhere to be his friend. With his head buzzing, it took Milo a while to fall asleep, but eventually he drifted off.

-o-

The next morning, he was delighted to find that the Umbreon had stayed all night, and was now curled up in a pile of sheets next to his head. The nerves of yesterday had completely disappeared as he jumped out of bed, waking up his new Umbreon friend in the process. She disentangled herself from his blankets and stretched gleefully.

"Hey there!" he greeted her as he changed into his brand new travelling clothes. Black pants, with plenty of pockets, made of a heavy-duty yet lightweight material. Black light hiking shoes, durable but not overkill. A standard grey JPTA shirt and his favorite jacket, white on top and fading to black at the bottom. Black beanie cap with an orange stripe around the bottom to cover most of his unruly dark brown hair.

The Umbreon, who had up until this point sat and looked at him quietly, now jumped down and rubbed contentedly against his leg. He'd had his favorite grey backpack packed with all the essentials for a few days now, so he slung it over his shoulder just as a knock came on his door. Mrs. Ketchum's voice came though from outside;

"Milo? Are you up yet, dear? It's about time for you to get ready; your family will be here soon!"

"I'm pretty much ready to go now, Mrs. Ketchum, come in! I have a surprise!"

He could feel himself beaming as she opened his door and saw the blue-striped Umbreon looking inquisitively up at her from his feet.

"M-Milo, what is that? Oh my goodness, wherever did you get that Pokémon?"

"I don't know why, Mrs. Ketchum, but she just showed up at my window before I went to sleep. I was curious so I let her in – she's an Umbreon, I looked it up – and she just kind of stayed, as if she was supposed to be here."

He leaned down to pet his new friend, eliciting a warm pulse of blue from her neon stripes.

"Well…", began a bewildered Mrs. Ketchum, "I've never heard of anything like this before. She certainly looks like an Umbreon, from what little I know, but don't they usually have yellow stripes?"

"Yup. But not her. I guess she's just different. Like me."

"I…I suppose so, Milo. Well", she continued, recovering wonderfully from her initial shock, "isn't that exciting for you! You got your wish after all, your very own Pokémon partner to start your journey! I'm so happy for you. Now, are all your things together?"

"Yes, I'm totally ready."

He bent down and rubbed the Umbreon's head and asked softly, "Are you going to come along? I promise I'll take good care of you and we'll be partners and best friends in no time!"

"Breeeeoooon!", came its exuberant response as it pressed its front paws up against his knees.

Taking a deep, determined breath, Milo straightened up again to look at Mrs. Ketchum.

"Let's go."

Wow. As he stepped out the front door of the JPTA he was surprised to see his _entire_ family there, his parents and his little 5-year-old sister Myrian (too shy to say much around so many new people). Even his older brother, Marcus, had come, which was a surprise; Milo had told himself Marcus wouldn't be able to get away from the Hearthome Gym, where he was Fantina's replacement as Leader. Mrs. Ketchum and all the other teachers were assembled as well, and a few of his classmates who liked him enough to at least acknowledge his leaving.

The real shock for them was when Milo's new Umbreon stepped shyly out from behind him to stand next to him, pressed closely against his leg. Those assembled immediately broke out into confused murmurs, until Marcus stepped out and asked;

"Hey, bro, is…that an Umbreon? A blue-striped Umbreon?"

Milo was proud to hear the subdued shock in his normally inscrutable brother's voice.

"Yes, she is", he replied firmly, "She's going to come with me."

As soon as everyone else found their voices he was bombarded with questions, so eventually he just retold the entire story, such as it was. When he finished, there was a stunned silence, as his Umbreon friend tried unsuccessfully to hide behind his legs to get away from the many eyes peering curiously at her.

"You're all making her nervous", he told them, feeling a bit uncomfortable himself at all the attention, "can I go ahead and head out towards Sandgem? I do have to get to the Professor's office today…"

It was again Mrs. Ketchum who spoke up on Milo's behalf,

"Well, usually we have a short air flight to take you to Sandgem to avoid having brand new trainers travel with no Pokémon. But since you have…Oh, but what is your new partner's name, Milo?"

"Her name…", he thought carefully, but then one name materialized in his mind and somehow just felt like the perfect name for his new friend, "Her name is Azura. Are you alright with that, Azura?"

She purred contentedly as he leaned down to pet her.

"Br-r-r-ee! Breeooonnn!"

"Wonderful!", exclaimed Mrs. Ketchum with a smile, "I'm sure that you and Azura can make the walk to Sandgem Town in a day without a problem."

Milo's mother spoke up, "Milo, dear, do you know how to get there?"

"Yeah, mom, I know the way. It's not far. Plus I have a map on my Poketch."

With a quick breath, Milo set his shoulders and began assertively, "Well. I think it's time. I'm leaving right now for my Pokémon journey. Azura, you ready?"

The happy Dark-type crouched as if she were about to pounce and growled eagerly. She was certainly ready.

"Alright. Nothing else for it. Let's do this thing!"

With that he charged off down the street, headed straight for the South Gate that would take him to Sandgem Town and the Professor's office.

There was a subdued pause from those assembled after Milo left. Unexpectedly, it was Marcus who again stepped forward, "Hmm. There he goes. It's odd, I'm not usually one for instinct and all that, but… Something about him, especially with that Umbreon, just gives me a strange feeling."

All the students and teachers looked inquisitively at this stranger, not bold enough to ask the obvious question. Thankfully Milo's mother did that for them. She stepped out and put a nervous hand on her older son's shoulder and asked him (through motherly sniffles and tears);

"Marcus dear, what kind of strange feeling do you have? Should we be worried for our little Milo? It's not a bad feeling…is it?"

The gym leader held his mother's hand reassuringly, but continued to stare thoughtfully after his younger brother. One word at a time, he articulated his odd sense;

"I know that young people start out on Pokémon journeys all the time, and some will become more powerful and well-known than others… Yet somehow I get a different sense about Milo. I can't shake the idea that he and that Umbreon will become something really special."

Mrs. Ketchum herself gave a knowing smile, "Well, he deserves it. I hope for his sake you're right."

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Chapter Thoughts: I've been told that this is an unfortunately bland Chapter 1. That's probably true, so if you're concerned, I beg you to give me a few more chapters to earn your readership. Hopefully Milo is different from most other OC Trainer characters out there, and Azura's got a lot of personality waiting to be uncovered.**

 **I redid this a bit, tidied it up and changed some minor details, nothing really plot-relevant. I'd love to hear your thoughts, any thoughts at all! If you've got questions, ask away, and I will answer as best I can! I obviously don't own Pokémon, just my OC's.**

 **If you like it, keep on reading, and feel free to follow/favorite. That way you can keep up to date with Milo's adventures and other people will be more likely to find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!**


	2. Chapter 2 - To Sandgem!

Chapter 2 - To Sandgem!

Milo made it all the way out of Jubilife's south gate before he realized that running all the way to Sandgem was probably not an option. Azura was still jogging along happily beside him, no problem, but Milo had to stop, panting, and put his hands on his knees to rest;

"Hey, hold up. I'm excited too, but I can't run the whole time. Whew. Alright, let's keep going!"

"Br-r-r-r-eee!"

Azura ran a few circles around Milo enthusiastically before settling into a bouncy stroll by his side, her head held high.

"Hey, Azura, I have to wonder. What made you come find me?"

Her walk slowed, and her head drooped. She gave a sad coo,

"Reeeonnn…"

 _I really wish I could understand her_ , thought Milo, _she seems really upset about something she's remembering._

"Hey!"

A voice called from just down the road. Milo turned to see who it was, and a young kid with an eager, but mischievous glint in his eye ran up to him.

"I'm Tristan, and my friends and I run this route! You can't get past us unless you pay us each 5 whole dollars!"

Milo stared blankly at the boy who couldn't be older than seven or eight, before noticing that two equally young kids had just jumped out of the nearby bushes, gleeful triumph written on their faces.

"Yeah", yelled the little girl now on Milo's left, "Cuz we have 4 Pokémon! So you better pay up or we'll beat you in a battle!"

"What do you kids want? Pocket change to buy an ice cream? Yeah, well I'll take your bet. I think my Umbreon can beat all your Pokémon in a battle."

The blood began pounding in Milo's ears as his excitement boiled up within him. This would be his first battle as a real trainer, with his own Pokémon partner battling beside him. He found it terribly crass that these kids were trying to use their Pokémon as leverage to extort people, but they were only kids. They probably didn't quite grasp what it was they were doing and didn't mean any real harm. But a battle was about to begin and now he could feel the energy roaring through him.

The three kids all brought out their Pokémon; two Bidoofs, a Starly, and a Shinx.

"Alright, Azura, let's go to work!"

As his new partner jumped forward, Milo could feel his brain kick into overdrive. What moves did Azura even have? She was a Dark type, so she must have at least a couple of the quintessential Dark moves, plus a couple of the standard physical attacks. He'd have to count on that, but would perhaps let the kids make the first move to give himself an extra second to think and gain some confidence.

"Tackle!" yelled the middle kid to the Shinx on Azura's left.

As the small electric Pokémon rushed forward, Milo sprang into action;

"Azura dodge right and Quick Attack the Bidoof if you can! Otherwise Tackle it!"

Azura was moving before Milo was done with his command. She deftly stepped around the onrushing Shinx, kicking it aside with her back left paw. Then she sprinted forward in a stunning Quick Attack that knocked out the unfortunate Bidoof before it could react. But two could play at that game.

"Shinx, Tackle again!"

"Starly, Quick Attack him!"

Panicking at the two simultaneous attacks, Milo could only yell, "Azura get out of there!"

She managed to evade the Shinx once more, but in doing so made herself vulnerable to the Starly's impressive Quick Attack dive bomb. Azura took it square in the side and went tumbling head over heels, to Milo's horror.

The three children began cheering, thinking they had already won, so only Milo, as he watched with bated breath, saw Azura push herself back up off the ground and shake her head.

"Br-r-r-ee!", she barked angrily, glaring at her three remaining opponents. She was ready to continue, and now she was angry.

 _This feeling_ , thought Milo, _I feel like I understand her perfectly in this moment. This is so…awesome! We can win this!_

As the kids turned around to realize their work was yet unfinished, Milo yelled with renewed confidence,

"Pay back that Starly, Azura! Pursuit!"

A dark crack appeared in the air in front of Azura and she leaped in. Immediately another crack opened behind the Starly, and Azura came flying out of it, in midair, tackling the little bird Pokémon to the ground viciously. With her paws now emitting dark auras of power, she hit the Starly one more time to make certain it stayed down before turning to face the remaining Bidoof and Shinx.

Of the three kids, only one had enough wits about him to yell, "Shinx, Spark!"

"Dodge, Azura!"

But this time the Shinx would not be denied. The Spark attack missed the first time, but was followed by another Spark that connected with Azura's shoulder. She slid backwards from the impact, but remained standing, breathing heavily. She began to give a low growl, and her whole body gave off the same dark aura that had engulfed her paws.

 _She's got some kind of power,_ Milo knew, _but what? What kind of abilities does she have?_

"I know you've got plenty left in the tank", he told her, "show me what you've got!"

He'd said it almost without thinking, it was like pure instinct. The real shock came next. Azura's dark aura became a sort of dark explosion. The whole field of battle was covered in a cloud of absolute darkness, pierced only by Azura's blue neon stripes. Then a burning sensation overcame Milo's mind, and suddenly he could all but see the two enemy Pokémon fumbling about in the dark field.

 _This is her power_ , he realized, _Azura is showing me where they are because she can sense them._

Now he received another feeling, a kind of nonverbal suggestion. Going with the flow, he called out,

"Finish this off, Azura! Dark Pulse!"

He could see her blue stripes grow almost dangerously bright. Then, as she built up her power, the dark fog dissipated as quickly as it had come, and as Azura came into view she unleashed a titanic wave of Dark energy that left the two remaining Pokémon unconscious. They stood no chance against her move. Her Dark Pulse was so intense that several small wild Pokémon in the nearby grass and trees yelled in surprise and fell over as her attack hit them like a tidal wave.

Just like that, it was over. Milo had won. He was as shocked as the three kids.

"Hey", called the kid on the right, the owner of the two Bidoofs, "that was really mean, bully!"

"I…I just…" Milo could only stutter, trying to process what Azura had done. She was still standing there in the middle of their battlefield, glaring at the kids, panting.

"Yeah", the girl who owned the Starly chimed in, as the whole group retreated, "You're just a meanie-face butthead!"

None of these petty insults even registered in Milo's brain. He stared silently at Azura, before finally asking the obvious question;

"What… _was_ that?"

As if nothing had happened, the small Umbreon just wagged her tail happily, seemingly content to remain an impregnable enigma.

Another unbidden mental suggestion burst into Milo's head. It urged him to keep going, to hurry along to Sandgem. What were these things that kept pushing into his mind? He began once again on his way, wondering as he went,

 _Does Azura have telepathic…something? She's not Psychic…_

As the afternoon wore on, nothing quite as exciting as their first battle occurred. Milo got the chance to see more of Azura's power as they came across several wild Pokémon, but none of these proved a real challenge. Mostly, the pair of them walked along in contented quiet. As a matter of fact, Milo was rather marveling at the peace of the open road, with the cool fall breeze ruffling his hair. He soon grew accustomed to the constant aura of happiness that came from Azura, both in his mind and in her demeanor.

Just as the shadows began to lengthen, around 4 o'clock, Sandgem came into view, and Milo's excitement once again bubbled over as he took off at a quick jog;

"There it is, that has to be Sandgem! See it, Azura? Let's go!"

"Br-r-eee!" cried Azura and ran lightly alongside her new friend.

Milo didn't slow down as he dashed through the main street of Sandgem town, not until he reached the front door of the Pokémon Lab, home base of the renowned Professor Rowan. Taking a second to compose himself and double check that his new Trainer identification was close at hand, he nervously pushed open the lab doors.

"Ah", said a rather severe-looking Professor Rowan, "you must be Milo. This is the one I was told to expect, Cynthia, if you'll excuse me."

"But of course", replied the elegant woman with whom Rowan had been conversing.

"Wait", said Milo before he could stop himself, "aren't you the Champion?"

With a knowing grin, Cynthia answered, "Why yes, I am."

Her face became serious and she seemed to take a second, closer look at Milo and Azura.

"You know, there's nothing more inspiring to me than seeing a new trainer make a grand beginning. Would you mind my observing, young Milo?"

Taken aback, the poor boy could only sputter, "I..Y-yes, that's, um, that's fine."

Whoa, the Champion was going to watch him pick his starter! But, why? He felt the same confusion from Azura, with a healthy dose of self-consciousness.

"Well, well", began Professor Rowan, "so this is the boy with the blue Umbreon. I've heard from your schoolteachers since you left this morning. Of course, you are still entitled to one of our three starter Pokémon, but if I may, I'd like to run a few tests on…Azura is her name, yes? Yes, I'd like to run a few basic scans on her to determine what exactly differentiates her from the rest of her species. Is that agreeable?

Milo looked silently at his companion, who nodded.

"Sure, professor, that's fine. I'd like to know more about her as well."

Azura followed Professor Rowan, and Milo could feel a sense of curiosity from her. She probably didn't understand her own power any more than he did.

After she was gone, Milo was alone with Cynthia, who turned to him and asked,

"How exactly did you come to own that Umbreon?"

Milo, feeling unbelievably self-conscious and embarrassed, fidgeted awkwardly as he responded,

"I…I don't know, I don't really feel like I _own_ her, you know? I'm just lucky that she picked me and decided to stick around. She followed me home the other day and just wouldn't leave me alone after that. I'm glad, though. Travelling with a real Pokémon partner makes me feel much better about my journey."

Cynthia smiled, and her eyes glazed over with memories as she answered, "I'm impressed, Milo. You have a great understanding of the relationship between Pokémon and their trainers. I rarely see that level of respect and trust for Pokémon – especially from one so new to Pokémon training as you. Would you do me two small favors?"

"Uh, sure? What kind of favors?" asked the young man, still awed by the Champion's presence.

"Every time a Trainer defeats a Gym Leader and earns a badge, the Gym Leader asks permission to upload the footage of the battle to the BattleNet, to be reviewed by other Gym Leaders, Champions, and Pokémon experts the world over. When you are given that chance, please don't refuse."

Cynthia's eyes blazed with excitement as she continued, "I would dearly love to see you battle and grow with that Umbreon. She clearly cares for you and trusts you completely, and I can see that you care for, trust, and respect her as well. You two are something really special."

The Sinnoh Champion wanted to watch _him_ battle! It was almost too much to take in. Numbly, Milo ventured a question, "What's the…other favor?"

A scuffling could be heard down the hallway, along with the vague and muffled voices of what sounded like several young Pokémon, as the Champion stood with a mischievous smile;

"When Professor Rowan and Azura return, and you choose your own starter, will you battle me?"

Taken aback, Milo stuttered, "B-battle? With…with you? But, I…"

"Oh, don't worry", Cynthia laughed, "I don't have my main challenger team with me right now; I have several smaller, newer Pokémon I've been training on the side. They shouldn't be too much stronger than yours."

"Oh. Wow, umm, yeah, I guess."

The scuffling and scratching from the hallway grew louder, and the culprits now emerged around the corner. A Chimchar came sprinting out in a panic, followed closely by a very angry little Turtwig and a jolly Piplup who was following along but seemed to be off in its own world.

"Ah, you three, back at again, I see", sighed Professor Rowan, just returning from his study room with Azura in tow.

With a glint in his eye, he sat down across from Milo and began emphatically, "I've collected a wonderful amount of data, and it'll take some time to sort through it all and correlate it, but I do have a few preliminary findings and questions for you."

Milo was just as excited as the Professor and leaned forward in anticipation as Rowan checked his clipboard and launched into his experiments.

"I first ran a basic move scan and that was one of the most revealing things. Your Umbreon can use Dark Pulse, Pursuit, Night Shade, Quick Attack, Tackle, Confusion, and Shadow Ball. That alone is quite impressive, both the range and volume of her move set are astounding in a Pokémon with her level of experience. But one other move of hers really makes me wonder; we don't even have a standardized name for it because it has only been observed a handful of times over the course of recorded scientific Pokémon history."

"Wait", said Milo with sudden recognition, "do you mean that thing she can do where she turns the whole battle field to darkness?"

"You've seen this happen already!?" Professor Rowan was absolutely incredulous, "Yes, that is what I mean, but I assumed that power had not yet manifested, that it would take much more training and a deeper connection between you! This is incredible! Did you manage to battle through the darkness, or did she give herself instructions while the effect lasted?"

"Well", Milo's brow furrowed as he explained his first battle with difficulty, "I, uh, don't really understand what happened. I couldn't _see_ my opponents, but at the same I could sort of _tell_ where they were. I could sense them because Azura sensed them. She kind of, uh, shared them with me, in my mind. I don't know, does that make any sense to you, Professor?"

Professor Rowan was now leaning forward his gaze fixed intently on Milo, who could almost hear the wheels of the great Pokémon Professor's head whirling faster than a Rapidash's Extremespeed.

"This", said Rowan after some thought, "answers some of my other questions as well. I ran a mental capabilities scan after the move scan – Whoa!"

Their discussion was interrupted by the Chimchar running back down the hallway, narrowly dodging a Vine Whip from the pursuing Turtwig before jumping acrobatically over a Bubble attack from Piplup.

Cynthia chuckled and asked the obvious question, "What's gotten into your starters, Professor Rowan?"

Rowan held his head in his hands and replied, "Well, that Chimchar must be causing trouble again. It…well, it certainly means no harm, but it has very poor control over its powers and has an unfortunate tendency to cause accidents on a rather frequent basis. Piplup isn't greatly bothered by it, being a Water-type, but Turtwig has grown understandably frustrated. This is a fairly typical situation. One silver lining, I suppose, is that Chimchar is remarkably fast because it spends a good deal of time running away from Turtwig and Piplup. They rarely manage to catch it anymore."

A smile on his face, Milo felt compelled to come to Chimchar's defense, "I'm sure it's very sorry for causing problems, I don't think it's Chimchar's fault that it hasn't yet managed to control its power. Fire can be a temperamental element, difficult to keep in check."

"Once again, Milo", observed Cynthia, "that mind of yours seems determined to set itself apart. Yours will be an intriguing career to watch."

Not to be deterred any longer, Rowan gave himself a shake and turned back to Milo, "As I was saying, I ran a mind scan on Azura here, and found some really intriguing things. First, she has within her mind a sort of malleable Dark-type power that can manifest in any number of ways. This means that, with training, she may be eventually able to use unique Dark moves that imitate things she sees from other Pokémon. Lastly, there's a standard telepathic foundation. I'm certain that eventually, Azura will be able to fully speak to you telepathically. This is a very common occurrence, but not for Dark-types. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen such capabilities in a non-Psychic Pokémon. In short, this Umbreon is incredibly powerful. The word 'rare' doesn't even begin to describe her. She's more than likely completely unique. As I said earlier, I have yet to fully analyze the data I have collected from her, and I hope you'll keep me posted as you and she grow and train together, but I can already promise you that you are a very lucky trainer to be travelling with such a remarkable Pokémon partner."

There was a pause, as Milo was still processing all the Professor had said. Finally, he turned to Azura, who was now sitting at his feet, wagging her tail peacefully, contentedness emanating in wave from her.

"I knew you were special", he said, petting her head, "being blue instead of yellow, but I had no idea you were so powerful, Azura. I must be one of the luckiest Trainers in Sinnoh for you to choose me."

Rowan spoke up once more, "I'm glad you recognize that, Milo. Make sure you never take your Pokémon's trust for granted. The mark of a truly great trainer is complete mutual trust with one's Pokémon. Now, perhaps you'd like to choose your starter? After all, that is how the tradition usually goes, hmm?"

Milo's heart began to flutter. It was time. His brain was suddenly bursting with all the knowledge he'd crammed into his mind about various statistics and advice on choosing a starter. Turtwig was the most strategic choice, as its eventual addition of the Ground type helped combat it's weakness to Fire. Piplup would be able to help him travel over water, but Chimchar would eventually have the best Attack power in battle.

Piplup, Turtwig, or Chimchar… Empoleon, Torterra, or Infernape…

He replayed the scene from a few minutes ago, with Chimchar running from its fellow starters. He remembered how Rowan had sighed in frustration at the mere mention of it. He felt…sorry for the poor little guy. Pity seemed to Milo an infinitely better motivation than any of the cold, unfeeling statistics whirling about his mind.

"Professor", he began haltingly, "I think…I'll take the Chimchar."

Rowan was incredulous, "Are you certain, young man? You've seen for yourself how destructive and problematic it can get…"

Milo began to gain confidence in his decision. The more he thought about this, the more sure he became.

"I understand, Professor, but that's why I want to travel with it. I think it's just misunderstood; it's really not a _bad_ Pokémon. I want to give it another chance, a new setting. Please, Professor, give me the chance to take care of that Chimchar."

Cynthia threw in her two cents as Rowan sat back to think, "I, for one, admire this boy's spirit, Professor. He made that choice out of genuine care for the Pokémon; you of all people must see that. Surely that's as good a reason as any to let him train it."

"I…think you are right", the Professor answered slowly, "but I advise caution when training it. It has a lot of power that it doesn't understand how to properly use or control. I wouldn't want it to be a danger to itself or to others. Do you understand, Milo?"

"I promise", he asserted, "I'll be careful."

With a kindly smile, Rowan encouraged the young trainer, "I know you will."

Then he turned to face the hallway and yelled, "Chimchar! Come here!"

Before too long, all three of the starters came bustling down the hallway. Evidently they had calmed down, but Turtwig still had a few choice words for his fiery compatriot;

"Turt! Twig-ig Turtwig!"

Azura's wide-eyed told Milo that whatever Turtwig had expressed was rather less than kind. Chimchar looked sullenly at the ground, probably feeling guilty for whatever its latest accident had caused.

Adopting his usual grave, serious expression, Professor Rowan knelt down in front of the small Chimchar and said, "Now Chimchar, I know your time here has been, well, eventful and rather stressful, but I have good news for you. Chimchar, this young man is your new Trainer!"

A hush fell over those present. Turtwig and Piplup were speechless with shock, and Chimchar immediately stared in awe at Milo, tears forming in its eyes. Then it rushed forward and grabbed Milo's leg in the best hug it could muster.

"Chaarrr!"

As its emotions and gratitude overwhelmed it, the small Ember Pokémon's tail flame became larger and began to spit out little sparks.

Chuckling as he bent down to pull his new Pokémon friend away from his flammable clothing, Milo addressed it directly, "Hi there, Chimchar! I can tell you've got a lot of fire inside that little body, I think I'll call you Blaze. Like it?"

Blaze thought for a minute, then struck a 'powerful' pose and gave his new trainer a fierce smile. He loved his new name.

"Char chim! Chimchar chim Chimchar!"

Azura put her paws up on Milo to get his attention. As he turned to ask what she wanted, she put another feeling in his head, that Blaze was happy, and she was happy. They were ready to truly get their journey underway.

"Heh, I get you. We're going to be a great team, guys."

Cynthia, who had been quietly observing with a small smile, stood up to remind Milo of their earlier agreement, "How about that battle, then?"

Rowan immediately interjected, "Come now Cynthia, my dear, you can't be serious? He's only been a trainer for a day!"

"Don't fret, Rowan my friend, as I explained to Milo earlier, I have a new team of younger Pokémon that I've just begun training. He'll be fighting two of those, not my main team."

Visibly relieved, Rowan smiled and turned back to Milo, "In that case you'll need this. It's your Chimchar's Pokeball. Also, I'd recommend buying a Dusk Ball at the next opportunity to officially 'capture' that Umbreon."

"Thanks, I'll remember that, Professor! Alright, let's get that battle going!"

Sandgem was a small town, so small that there was only one field large enough for a real Pokémon match, right in the center of the main square. People immediately began to notice as Milo and Cynthia took up opposite sides of the standard rectangular space. Soon enough, they recognized the Champion of Sinnoh and the whispers began to circulate.

"I'll choose first", called Cynthia, "this'll be a two on two, and I'll make no substitutions, Gym battle style. Alright, Aipom, come out!"

 _Hmm, Aipom_ , thought Milo, _a fairly standard choice. I'd be smart to show a measured response. Let's see what Blaze is capable of_.

"Okay, Blaze, let's go!"

Milo's new Chimchar let out a small fiery discharge as it landed enthusiastically on the battlefield. Knowing he'd lose for sure if the Sinnoh Champion got to dictate the pace of the battle, he immediately yelled, "Blaze, give me a Double Team and a Quick Attack!"

"Chim!"

Rowan had been serious when he said running away had honed Blaze's speed. Almost before Milo was done talking, dozens of copies of Blaze sprinted remarkable fast at the thoroughly confused Aipom. But Cynthia was no novice, and remained perfectly calm.

"Jump, Aipom, as high as you can. If it jumps after you, swat it with your tail."

Aipom jumped, and Milo's strategy was all for naught. Unsure of what to do, Blaze's copies began to falter. Fortunately, Milo wasn't out of tricks just yet.

"Get under it and fire an Ember straight up!"

Cynthia's eyes narrowed as Blaze shot a burst of flame upwards from directly beneath Aipom. She could see her Aipom was about to take the first hit. All she could do was return the favor.

"You've cornered yourself! Aipom, Body Slam as you fall, slam right on top of Chimchar!"

Milo watched, mouth agape, as Cynthia's Aipom fell straight through the Ember and slammed down hard, smashing Blaze into the ground.

"Now, Doubleslap", called Cynthia.

Before Blaze could get free, Aipom held him down and began bludgeoning him with its tail.

 _No, I'm stuck! Blaze! Wait, his mouth is still free…_

"Blaze, give me the biggest Ember you can!"

Aipom's eyes went wide, but before it or Cynthia could react, Blaze's cheeks puffed up and he spat a wonderful, powerful Ember attack straight into his vulnerable opponent.

As the smoke cleared, Aipom just managed to get back up, while Blaze made his way wearily back over to Milo, obviously in some pain from taking the Body Slam and Doubleslap. He set himself back up bravely for the next stage of the fight.

"That was great, Blaze! Now it's tired and slow, Quick Attack! Full speed!"

"Nice thought, Milo, but I don't have to dodge. Aipom, catch it with your tail, then throw it."

 _What? No, it can't possibly…_

But as he watched, Blaze collided headfirst with Aipom's tail, which grabbed onto his head. Gritting its teeth, Aipom cried out from exertion as it flung Blaze overhead. He landed hard, and was knocked out.

"No, Blaze! Ugh, my first loss. Return!"

Blaze was sucked unconsciously back into his Pokeball.

Applause broke out from the decently sizeable crowd now assembled to watch the battle. Milo did his best to shut them out, but was still a bit uncomfortable.

"Now", said Cynthia, "let's see that Umbreon in action. I'll use Bonsly! Go!"

"Alright. Azura, let's get to work!"

"Br-r-r-ee!" she barked as she ran out onto the battlefield.

 _A rock type_ , thought Milo _, good thing Azura's brimming with special attacks. Still, best to keep it at a distance_.

"Shadow Ball, Azura!"

"Bonsly, dodge and Rollout."

 _She read me like a book! She's trying to get in close!_

Sure enough, Bonsly avoided the Shadow Ball, which was slightly inaccurate anyway, and came barreling towards Azura. She tried to sidestep it, but it predicted her move and hit her anyway. Bouncing off of her, it immediately came charging again. Suddenly, Milo had a plan.

"Azura, don't dodge it, use Dark Pulse to push it back! If it misses, Rollout will end!"

"Br-r-r-r-eeee!"

Azura let out a huge wave of dark energy that astounded those gathered. It worked, Bonsly's Rollout wasn't just cancelled out, Bonsly was thrown the length of the field and got up only with difficulty.

"Quick, before it recovers, use Confusion!"

Azura's normally amber eyes glowed blue and her neon stripes glowed vibrantly as Bonsly was levitated and put under an enormous mental attack. When Azura finally let it fall to the ground, it was dizzy and disoriented.

"End it, Shadow Ball!"

This time Azura's aim was true, and Bonsly was out for the count.

Cynthia smiled as she returned Bonsly, and was the first to applaud Milo's victory, though the overall battle was a draw. Milo and Azura both stood, panting, processing what had just happened.

 _Did I just knock out a Champion's Pokémon? I wasn't even thinking half the time, I just…knew what would work. Azura always knew what I wanted, she did perfectly. Wow…what a battle!_

"Milo", said Cynthia from right in front of him, "Milo, are you alright?"

He snapped out of his wonderment. Cynthia had walked across the field and he accepted her handshake. The crowd was still whooping and cheering for him and for Azura.

"Whu…? Yeah, yeah, I'm fine, I just, I don't know, that was…"

"That was incredible", Cynthia finished his though for him with a big smile.

"I can't remember the last time I had a battle that engaging. Your Umbreon is really marvelous, and I'm equally impressed by the connection between you and her."

Grabbing Milo's shoulders and staring at him intently, she continued, "Never in all my life have I seen that kind of connection between a Pokémon and trainer so new to the world of training. Now go on, wave to the people. This is your moment, allow it to make you shine!"

Still speechless, Milo turned and smiled at the assembled onlookers, who now numbered maybe 150 people. He walked over to greet them, Azura by his side. Some of the younger children wanted to pet her (she was only too happy to oblige), and many people wanted to know his name and where he was from.

"Are you going to challenge the Gym Leaders?"

"Will you continue training your Umbreon? Will you use her in Gym battles?"

"Just how new of a trainer are you?"

"Can I have your autograph?"

This last request came from a starry-eyed five-year old boy and his younger sister. Laughing awkwardly, Milo scribbled his name on their little notebook, then excused himself from the crowd on the pretext of being tired and hungry, which he certainly was.

Calling Azura to his side, he made his way to the local Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy quickly healed Blaze and gave Milo a key to a room he could spend the night in. As soon as he closed the room door, a wave of unbridled joy and excitement slammed into his mind from Azura, and she hurled herself into his arms;

"Brr-eeeee! Breeooooooonnn!"

Blaze burst himself out of his ball, and began dancing about, ecstatically. However, he stopped short, and turned to Milo with his gaze turned downward. Milo presumed he was feeling guilty about losing to Cynthia's Aipom.

"Hey, Blaze", Milo knelt down to comfort his new friend, "you did wonderful, don't worry about the result. You gave it your best, even after that brutal combo move she landed. As far as I'm concerned, this battle was a win for all of us. After all, those were the Champion's Pokémon!"

This cheered Blaze right up, and he resumed his dancing about.

Milo left the two Pokémon to rest and play in the room as he cleaned himself up from the battles and travel. After his shower, Milo came back to the room to find Azura smothering a small flame that had singed the sheets of Milo's bed and scorched a small section of carpet. It seemed Blaze had once again accidentally lived up to his name. He knew it, and was back to feeling guilty.

"Hey, don't worry too much, Blaze. It's alright; we'll just leave some money for Nurse Joy and apologize. Promise me you'll try and keep that kind of thing under control, though!"

The small fire monkey nodded vigorously, and all three of them went out to the cafeteria to eat a late dinner.

After a hearty meal, the day's activities caught up to them and they settled into their room. Milo was asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

As far as first days go, he'd had a great one.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Chapter 2 Thoughts: Here's the first real action and battling. I really enjoy the psychological aspect of Pokémon battling, hopefully it's just as engaging for you to read, and not laborious or overdone. If so, tell me!**

 **As usual, I'd love to hear your thoughts, any thoughts at all! Ask me your questions! I obviously don't own Pokémon, just my OC's.**

 **If you like it, read on, and feel free to follow/favorite. Help others find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!**


	3. Chapter 3 - A New (Friendly?) Face

Chapter 3 – A New 'Friendly' Face

The next morning, Milo awoke just as excited as he had been the previous evening. Azura lay calmly at the foot of his bed, and Blaze was curled up with a pillow on the floor. There was just one problem.

Where should he go next?

He got up and roused his Pokémon partners as he pondered this. As a Trainer, he would be expected to head off and gather Gym badges, of course, but he felt that limiting himself to just visiting the Gyms as fast as possible would be an injustice to the many other wonderful things to see in Sinnoh.

Feeling an overpowering need to be different, he made up his mind to head southwest from Sandgem to visit Twinleaf, for no other particular reason than because it was off the beaten path. Milo vaguely recalled there being a 'rival' trainer academy there, and he liked with the idea of visiting, to see how other young trainers prepared for their journeys.

He had been absentmindedly preparing his things as he thought, and by now he was all set. He checked out of his room at the Sandgem Pokémon Center and headed outside.

He decided that he owed one last thank you to Professor Rowan before leaving town, so he made his way to the lab, Azura and Blaze at his side.

When he entered, the lab appeared to be empty, and Milo's footsteps made echoes ring about the large main room.

"Professor Rowan", he called out, "are you here? I just wanted to say goodbye and thank you again! Professor?"

"Ah! Milo!"

The Professor's voice preceded the Professor himself, and soon Rowan emerged from a side door marked 'Computer Workspace'.

"Truth be told I was just reviewing the recording from your battle with Cynthia."

Milo's face flushed with an awkward mixture of pride and embarrassment.

"R-really? Umm, thanks…anything interesting?"

Rowan chuckled and replied, "Certainly, yes, but far too much to tell now. I suspect you are headed back towards Jubilife, and then on to Oreburgh for your first Gym battle? I'd hate to delay you, though I appreciate you stopping in."

"Actually, Professor, I was going to go down to Twinleaf town, just to see what it was like. I don't want to be the kind of trainer who is only concerned with badges."

Turtwig and Piplup came tumbling down the corridor, just like the previous day, and stopped short when they caught sight of Blaze, who was chasing Azura back and forth across the lab's main lobby.

Blaze stopped and shuffled his feet uncomfortably before offering an awkward wave and a half-smile. His wave was returned by Piplup cheerfully, though Turtwig made a dramatic show of turning right around and marching back down the hall and out of sight.

"Ah, these young Pokémon and their antics", commented Professor Rowan, "One of my favorite parts of this job is seeing them grow up to be strong and mature under the guidance of such excellent trainers as yourself, Milo."

"Thank you, sir."

"Don't mention it, my boy, I merely observe. I also commend your decision to detour to Twinleaf Town. It's a nice place, relatively quiet. They do have a Trainer academy, as I'm sure you know, though it's a small operation, especially compared to your upbringing in Jubilife. Nevertheless, if you keep up that attitude, you'll find many of Sinnoh's hidden gems, things most Trainers are too hasty to notice."

"I look forward to it. Now I think it's time I got going. Thank you for everything, Professor! Azura, Blaze, let's hit the road."

"Oh, Milo", called Rowan just before the young man left, "one last thing. I heard from Cynthia about the favor she asked of you. I am one of those privileged to have access to the BattleNet. Remember your promise; I am greatly interested in watching you progress in your journey."

"I'll do that, Professor. Goodbye!"

 _One last thing before I leave_ , Milo recalled.

He looked up and down the street until he spotted the PokéMart. After explaining himself briefly to the clerk he was allowed to purchase a Luxury Ball. He paid a bit extra to give it a Dark-type configuration and a paint job. Once he was outside he sat down on a nearby bench and held the new ball in his hands, offering it to Azura.

"Well, girl, last chance. I won't force you, but if you go in here, you're officially registered as my Pokémon, not wild anymore. If you want to go ahead and be captured, tap that middle button."

She didn't hesitate. She immediately bounced forward, her face wearing a massive smile, and pressed the button. Within three seconds the ball gave a soft 'ping' and was still. Milo exhaled deeply, overjoyed. He raised Azura's new ball and let her back out. She jumped into his arms and they shared a brief moment of celebration at making their 'official' beginning as Trainer and partner before setting their faces to the road once again.

Sandgem was small enough that it took Milo only a moment to find the west gate and within a couple minutes, he was breathing the fresh morning air on the road to Twinleaf town.

Route 201, it turned out, was not going to satisfy Milo's craving for adventure. It was dull and short. No trainers challenged him, and the only wild Pokémon he encountered were small and weak, and he felt no inclination to capture any of them. By the time he stopped for a picnic lunch around 11:30, he was at least halfway to Twinleaf already.

"Wow, Blaze", remarked Milo as the young Chimchar shoveled food into its mouth at an alarming rate, "you don't kid around when it comes to eating, do you?"

Blaze merely gave him a smile; his cheeks were too stuffed with food to speak. Azura, meanwhile, nibbled daintily at her food, and they wound up waiting for her to finish before continuing. Milo thought about stopping to train a bit, but decided he'd rather get to Twinleaf town first, to ensure that a Pokémon Center would be close at hand.

 _Nothing dangerous around here, but still…Better safe than sorry_ , he thought to himself, _after all, I have to train my Pokémon, but I'm also responsible for their care and good health._

It was just about 1 o'clock when Milo and his small team strolled into Twinleaf town. Not really knowing what there was here, Milo simply walked into the middle of town and sat on a bench to observe. After a good morning hike, it felt nice to just sit and be quiet.

Well, as quiet as one could be with a Chimchar and an Umbreon chasing each other in circles. He watched his two friends playing together for about fifteen minutes before an elderly man came up to him with a stern expression and asked,

"Young man, shouldn't you be in school? It's the middle of the day, you know."

Chuckling to himself, Milo made sure to be respectful as he answered, "Well, sir, I'm not enrolled in school, I've just started my Pokémon journey. I'm a certified trainer out of Jubilife City."

At this the old man smiled, "Ah, Jubilife, eh? Then you are a graduate of the JPTA! Well, I'll tell you, young man, there's a couple star recruits at our own humble school who would love nothing more than to test their skills against someone of your repute. We don't have much here in Twinleaf, but we are mightily proud of our Trainer school."

Blaze and Azura had stopped to listen, and Milo grinned as an idea came to mind, "Well, sir, I'd hate to deprive them of a good challenge. Which way is the Twinleaf school?"

The old man was kind enough to give Milo a brief tour of the town and lead him to the front door of the school.

"Wait here, young man, I'll go tell them a JPTA graduate is here."

Milo flushed with sudden embarrassment, second guessing his earlier idea, "Oh, umm, well I'd hate to interrupt them if they're still in session…"

But the kindly old man was already halfway through the door as he laughed off Milo's sudden concern, "Oh, nonsense, my boy! I'm sure they'd love nothing more than to have you here to change up their routine for a day!"

Milo waited awkwardly just outside the school building. He assumed they were doing some kind of training session with their Pokémon, he could hear crashing and shouting coming from a ways behind the school.

Soon enough, a middle aged woman came out and greeted him, saying, "Ah, you're the young man from the JPTA who has come to visit our humble school!"

"Uh, yes ma'am, that's me…"

"We're so glad to have you!" She shook Milo's hand vigorously, "I am the principal here, Mrs. Podero. Now, I'm afraid school will soon be out for today, but we can certainly get you a room in the Twinleaf Inn for the night, which doubles as our Pokémon Center, and give you access to the school's training fields. Is that acceptable?"

Taken slightly aback by her unexpected generosity, Milo stammered, "Oh, uh, yeah, that's great, thanks!"

"Excellent. I do hope you'll come and train with our upper class students tomorrow, they'd love the chance to compare themselves to a JPTA alumnus."

"That's fine by me, Mrs. Podero."

"Perfect, perfect, thank you, young man! Now, please do come in, I'll show you to our training fields."

The exuberant Mrs. Podero ushered Milo quickly through the small school, Azura and Blaze following with their heads on a swivel, trying to look at everything. The students had, for the most part, cleared the fields and left school already, so Milo was alone on one of the fields after Mrs. Podero left him to his training.

 _What do I work on first? How do I want to build my team?_

"Alright, you two, listen up, please."

Azura and Blaze sat obediently in front of him, ready and excited to work.

"I want to focus on speed. Both of you have good speed, and I think we can base our fighting style around that. But to do that, your good speed needs to be great speed. We should also work on endurance over time, because that'll help us in longer battles. Got it?"

"Br-r-r-ee!" Azura barked and crouched down low, as if she were about to pounce. Her furiously wagging tail told Milo she was totally on board.

"Chim! Char! Chim!" Blaze began jumping back and forth as quick as he could, to warm up.

"Alright, then let's do this. I'll train right along with you guys. I would never ask you to do something I wouldn't do myself. Time for some running!"

Milo led his small team through a series of sprinting and agility drills. He purposely kept going as long as he could, to make sure that both he and his Pokémon could maintain effort and focus after they became tired. Finally, after an hour and a half of this type of conditioning, Milo called a break, all three of them were gasping for breath;

"Alright guys – let's take a break. That was some really good work."

He got out some water for himself, Azura, and Blaze. After a fifteen minute reprieve, it was time to go again. He wanted at least a bit of battle training before the daylight was gone.

Milo sat on a chair and explained his ideas to his Pokémon, who listened attentively;

"Alright. In a real battle, I won't have enough time to tell you how exactly to get out of the way, and that means you have to be able to dodge for yourselves. What we're gonna do is this; one of you is going to launch an attack and the other has to dodge it. Then we'll switch. Okay?"

As the two Pokémon lined up on opposite sides of the field, a girl walked up to the outside of the fence surrounding Milo's training field.

"Hey! You're the JPTA kid! The one Podero told us about when school was letting out. It's Milo, right?"

Milo actually jumped in surprise at the voice; he'd thought he was alone.

"Y-yeah", he began as he walked over to the fence, "that's me. Who are you? Are you one of the students here?"

The girl was both short and _very_ skinny, which made her already baggy clothes look even bigger. Her long, straight black hair reached all the way down to her abdomen where it stuck out from her dull, red-grey hoodie, which was old and tattered. Her too-long grey sweatpants had rips and holes, especially where they dragged the ground when she walked. The only thing on her that looked new was her large pair of black headphones. Her face was rather blank and disinterested, but had a quiet intensity. In fact, everything about her radiated self-confidence and power, almost daring someone to challenge her. Her sharp, blue eyes completed the aura of implicit rebellion that really made her whole look click, despite her ratty clothes and inscrutable exterior.

She scoffed at Milo's inquiry, and replied with a derisive chuckle, "Pfft. Yeah, technically I still go here. But not much longer, I'm about to graduate and finally hit the road with my Pokémon. I'm Amaya. Those your only two Pokémon so far?"

She gestured at Azura and Blaze, who had jogged over to see what was going on.

"Yep", Milo felt oddly at home talking to her. He could relate to her no-nonsense attitude, "I've just got Azura and Blaze right now. Better two real partners than a team full of random Bidoofs and Starlys off the route, right?"

"I hear you", answered Amaya, "Hey move back a bit."

Without waiting for him to comply, Amaya stepped back and ran up the fence, flipping herself easily over the top to land neatly on the inside.

"You don't mind if I watch, right? I've always wondered what you kids up at Jubilife learn."

"Sure, I guess. Azura, Blaze, it's okay if she stays, right?"

They both smiled, which Milo took to mean they didn't mind.

"Okay, then let's line up, we're losing daylight."

Amaya walked silently over to the sideline and sat down to watch. Milo re-explained the drill to his two Pokémon partners and before long the attacks were flying back and forth. He made sure the attacks were at full speed, but with minimum power, to avoid any unnecessary injuries.

Milo was initially worried about his choice of strategy, as both Azura and Blaze had trouble dodging the first few attacks. But Azura soon got over her nerves and was able to dodge even chained series of attacks from Blaze.

Blaze, on the other hand, had some more prolonged issues.

 _He's got the speed_ , Milo thought worriedly, as the Chimchar went spinning across the dirt after taking yet another direct hit, _he just panics and can't act fast enough. His instincts aren't there yet._

"Hey Blaze", said Milo with a sudden idea, "try picking a direction to dodge _before_ the attack comes. That way, at least for now, you'll be able to get over your fear, and gain some confidence. Okay, ready to go again?"

Encouraged by the assistance and consolation of his new trainer, Blaze leapt up eagerly and toed the line, with a brave and determined expression on his small face, "Char! Chim Chimchar!"

"Excellent, that's the kind of spirit I like to see, Blaze! Okay, pick a direction, then signal Azura when you're ready!"

Miraculously, the idea worked. After a second or two of thought, Blaze took a deep breath and waved his hand at Azura, who shot a Shadow Ball at him. Time slowed as Milo watched in apprehension. He saw Blaze's eyes go wide as the panic struck again, but then watched him grit his teeth and cry out as he jumped to his left, somersaulting to land gracefully on his feet, unscathed.

Pure joy leapt across the young Chimchar's face as he realized what he'd done.

"YES! Good job, Blaze! Now keep it up, Azura give us a string of attacks, try as hard as you can to hit him. Come on Blaze, you know you can do this!"

Even Amaya, who had been watching silently, stood up in amazement at the sudden change. Three, four, five Shadow Ball attacks came in quick succession, but Blaze was suddenly untouchable.

"Wow", called Amaya across the field, "How'd you know that would work?"

"Truthfully, I wasn't sure. I knew he had the speed to pull it off, he just needed the confidence. This was the only way I could think of to get him out of his own head enough to realize what he was capable of. What do you think, Blaze?"

Blaze acrobatically leapt over a Quick Attack from Azura before flattening himself to get under a Shadow Ball follow up attack.

"Chaarrrr!"

His meaning was clear from the huge smile he wore. He was ecstatic.

Amaya stood up with a smirk, "Well, dodging is all well and good, but he still doesn't hit very hard. If you can't hit hard, all the speed in the world will just make you lose more slowly."

"So", countered Milo, "you prefer raw attack power to speed?"

"Of course! Even if dodging is your specialty, all I have to do is hit you hard enough once and it's over."

"Not if we wear you down first", Milo countered, "If we're fast enough, two things happen. One, we dodge your big hits, because larger attacks are not as fast to use. Two, we wear you down with smaller hits and frustrate you. This means we either whittle you down with a bunch of small attacks or we see an opportunity when your guard is down and land a big hit."

Amaya stared at him for a few seconds, trying to prove him wrong. Then, casually brushing her hair away from her face, she chuckled,

"Alright, fair enough, Jubilife boy, you're smarter than you look. But I still think raw power with good defense trumps that, so I'll stick with my way and you do your speed thing."

Milo grinned, "Works for me, Amaya. Hey, do you have your own Pokémon yet?"

"I have a Milotic that I raised from a Feebas I caught in the lake. Her name is Coral."

Milo was duly impressed, Milotic were very rare, and raising a Feebas to evolve one was a very laborious and time-intensive process.

"Dang, really? A Milotic? Nice."

"Thanks", she replied shortly, "Hey, your Umbreon and Chimchar look like they've had about enough, do you want to come to my house for dinner? My parents won't mind, I'm sure."

"Hmm, I'd love to, but I think they have just a bit more left in them. The best way to get stronger is to keep pushing your limits. Ready for just a bit more, you guys?"

Azura and Blaze stood up from their short break, still tired but eager to continue. Blaze especially was still pumped about his mental breakthrough and had energy to burn.

Milo himself joined back in as he and his team did some more basic speed and agility drills. Then he resumed sideline command as he directed his Pokémon to send attacks at one another, this time in spurts, to train their battle reflexes, intelligence, and awareness.

After another 45 minutes or so, he finally called a halt. Both Azura and Blaze were happy with their own progress, but looked tired enough to fall over on the spot.

As the sun began to sink below the horizon, Milo walked back over to Amaya and said, "I'll take you up on that dinner offer now, if that's still alright."

"Sure, let's go", she answered with a shrug; "By the way, I can see how seriously you take training. That's really cool, I respect that."

"Thanks."

Just as she had predicted, Amaya's parents didn't mind a guest in the slightest and were more than happy to feed Milo and his two Pokémon.

As they ate, Amaya's father asked politely about the JPTA, "What kind of training philosophy do they advocate these days in Jubilife? I've always heard that the JPTA grads were excellent strategists, but struggled to beat trainers who focus on defense."

"That's still very true sir, but I'm not exactly the perfect example of the JPTA battle mentality. I like to focus not just on Pokémon species and types, but on the individual Pokémon themselves. Not every Pokémon in the same species is the same, after all. I do rely heavily on strategy though, like you said."

"You know", the older man leaned forward with a smile, "I rather like that. I try to follow the major players in the Pokémon Trainer scene, and it frustrates me at times that many Trainers fail to respect the individualities of their Pokémon. I think there's a lot of potential to be realized there."

"I agree, sir, but that's not really why I chose to train that way. I want to focus on individual Pokémon because they deserve it. They aren't our tools, or even useful battling pets. They are our friends. That's always been my thought, and that's the kind of Pokémon trainer I want to be."

"Well, I can only hope our Amaya is as thoughtful about this as you are when she begins her journey in a couple weeks."

With an eye roll, Amaya spoke up for herself, "Dad, I'm sitting right here. And you know I care for Coral."

"I know, 'Maya, I know. I do worry that you rely too much on her raw power at times, though. I don't want you to overexert that marvelous Milotic. You know she'd do anything for you."

In a slightly softer tone, Amaya looked down at her plate and answered, "…I know that, Dad."

Conversation progressed smoothly, with Amaya's father picking Milo's brain a bit further before the talk transitioned to Twinleaf. Milo was very curious about how the Twinleaf school differed from his own experience.

Amaya's father was only too willing to discuss the intricacies of his daughter's school, "Twinleaf trainers tend to focus on how to get the most drive and power out of their Pokémon. They do less strategic work and focus a lot on having a strong mentality. It has its drawbacks, but overall it's certainly a viable battle mindset."

After a bit more talk and some dessert, it was deemed time to relax for the evening. Amaya took Milo to the Twinleaf Inn and he found his room. He spent the rest of the evening relaxing there with Azura and Blaze.

He perused basic information on Sinnoh's various Gyms, including his brother Marcus' Gym in Hearthome City. Marcus had only become the leader a few years ago, when Fantina decided that battling took too much time away from her love of Pokémon Contests, especially after Pokémon Performing became popular in Sinnoh, migrating over from Kalos. With Contests and Showcases to fill her time, Fantina decided that it was time to retire as Gym Leader.

Her choice of Marcus as her replacement caused more than a few raised eyebrows; he was more or less an unknown figure in the major Trainer scene. What really sparked controversy was Marcus' immediate announcement that Hearthome's traditionally Ghost-type Gym would instead become the first ever Dark-type Gym. So far, it had been successful, and since he was a popular Gym Leader, most of the fuss and discontent dissipated quickly.

With a sigh, Milo set aside his tablet and lay on his hotel bed thinking about what tomorrow might bring. He'd likely be able to get in quite a few battles, which would mean plenty of training for his team. Hopefully the school stocked potions and things to provide the essentials of medical care between bouts. It'd be weird to be at school again, even a different school. He changed aimlessly into something comfortable to sleep in, helped Azura and Blaze settle down for the night, and soon drifted off.

-o-

It was a particularly exuberant Starly that woke Milo up mere minutes before his alarm would go off. He was groggy at first, until a bolt of black and blue flashed across his vision and threw him backwards.

"Whu-aah! Azura…good morning."

He chuckled as he sat back up and greeted Blaze, who was seated on the windowsill looking about for the Starly that had caused the ruckus.

"Just about time for school, huh guys? This ought to be fun. Before we go, you guys won't mind if they want to battle, right?"

On the contrary, both of them looked like they were itching to put yesterday's training to good use. Milo called them back to their respective Pokéballs for the time being.

After getting dressed and stuffing his face with a quick snack in the Inn's lobby, Milo made his way to the Twinleaf School, still rubbing his eyes.

The principal, Mrs. Podero, ushered Milo to a classroom that was just beginning to fill with students around Milo's age, he guessed they were the more advanced students. His suspicions were confirmed when Amaya walked in.

"There you are, Milo", she waved, "Glad you made it!"

"Oh", Mrs. Podero was pleasantly surprised, "you already met Amaya, did you?"

"Yes, ma'am, she watched me train yesterday, we talked."

"That's wonderful. Now, class is about to start. I've told the instructor about you and the plan is for you to simply follow along with class today until he gives you further instructions, closer to lunchtime. Any questions?"

Milo thought for a minute. He was still unclear, but he couldn't formulate any specific questions, so...

"Umm, no, I don't think so, ma'am."

"Then I'll just be going. Your instructor's name is Mr. Kalu. Hmm, here he comes now…"

Mrs. Podero left, casting a clearly disdainful look at whoever was coming down the hallway. Evidently Mrs. Podero and Mr. Kalu weren't on the best of terms.

Milo took an empty seat right next to Amaya who leaned over and whispered, "Everyone knows Podero and Kalu used to date when they were younger, but he went off to Alola for training instead of staying with her and she never got over him. She would fire him if she could, but the previous principal hired him, and she has no valid reason to get rid of him. He's awesome, though, you'll love him."

As she was wrapping up this confidential tidbit, a large, muscular man walked in who was everything one would not expect of a teacher. Tan skin, bright eyes, an unbuttoned tropical shirt with a white undershirt, and brightly colored shorts with flip flops. Mr. Kalu definitely carried a presence about him.

"Hey kids, how's it hangin'?"

As a chorus of jovial and joking answers came back at him, he smiled and threw a bright blue folder onto and already untidy desk before flopping down in a rolling chair in the front of the room.

He surveyed his students briefly, as if unsure where to start, before Milo caught his eye.

"Oh, hey dude, you in the back! That's right, I forgot! Welcome to Twinleaf, my man! Come on up and give us all an official intro!"

Milo quickly decided that as nice as Mrs. Podero was, Mr. Kalu was his favorite Twinleaf citizen. He made his way to the front of the room, and gave a brief introduction of himself. He was a bit nervous; public speaking had never been his strong suit.

"Hey…I'm Milo. I, uh, I'm here visiting. I just started my official Pokémon journey. I graduated from the JPTA. Um, anything else?"

Kalu gave him an encouraging nudge from his chair, and asked "What kinds of Pokémon have ya got, Milo? You came through Sandgem so you at least got a starter, yeah?"

Milo began to warm to his new surroundings; he would gladly show off his Pokémon team.

"I'll show you."

Two flashed of light revealed Azura and Blaze, eliciting a round of oohs and ahs from both Kalu and his students.

Kalu stood and offered a handshake to Milo, who accepted before returning his Pokémon and sitting back down, blushing from the attention.

"Sweet", Kalu spoke up to get the kids to focus again, "thanks for that, Milo. Let's get back to where we were last time; Pokémon Trainer History."

Strangely, nobody seemed upset about studying such a boring subject. At the JPTA everybody would've rolled their eyes and sighed as they rummaged for their notebooks. Here, the kids opened their books, and looked expectantly up at Kalu without a single groan.

Kalu leaned back in his chair as he again perused the room before asking his first question,

"Can someone remind me what we talk about when we reference the Trainer Paradigm Shift?"

Amaya called out immediately, "That's all about Ash Ketchum. He was the first one to really make it big using the philosophy that Trainers should train along with their Pokémon. He wasn't the first, but he was the first to get as famous as he did without using the old 'Trainer as a Coach' mentality."

"Great, Amaya. How long ago did he get going?"

Amaya's brow furrowed, and Milo tried to help by leaning across and mouthing the answer at her. She didn't get his signals, but Mr. Kalu saw them.

"Looks like our guest has got that answer, huh Milo?"

"Oh. Umm, yeah, he first got his Pikachu fifteen years ago."

"Yup. On the dot. Say, Milo, my man, doesn't his mom, Deliah Ketchum, teach up at the JPTA?"

Milo blushed again, but smiled at recalling his favorite teacher ever, "Yeah, she does."

Murmurs broke out among the students, who were stunned that Milo knew someone that close to the almost legendary Ash Ketchum.

Milo continued, "She taught us Pokémon care, though, not training. Actually, Ash did visit once, to see his mom. I saw his Pikachu. That was cool."

Another round of wonderment swept the students, and Kalu joined in;

"No kidding, huh? That's great! I battled the guy once in a tournament. That Pikachu wiped half my team before Ash switched it out on his own. I stood no chance, that thing is on another level!"

Class continued in this way; Kalu would raise a topic of interest related to some advanced Pokémon training concept and one of his students would answer his question, usually Amaya, before conversation began to flow. The class debated their favorite types, how to build a versatile team around one particular type, the advantages of trainers who journeyed in multiple regions, how to take advantage of Pokémon abilities in battle, and all sorts of other things. Milo found he had a lot to add to the conversation, he was perhaps the only one more knowledgeable than Amaya – besides Mr. Kalu, of course. Kalu seemed to know it all, and could speak from personal experience on every topic he brought up.

After a few hours of unexpectedly scintillating class time, Kalu called a halt,

"This has been some sick discussion, guys, but it's time for the daily filling of bellies. When you come back from the café, head straight for our class practice fields, we got a special afternoon going on. Milo, can I talk to ya real fast, brother? Everyone else, get on out of here, go to lunch."

 _Now my special performance is coming up, I bet_ , Milo concluded as he walked up to Kalu to see what he wanted.

"So after lunch I was going to have you battle a bit, show us your stuff. But I won't do it if you'd rather not be put on the spot. You cool?"

"Yeah, I'm fine with that. Thanks for asking."

"Sure thing, man. Have a good lunch!"

The cafeteria was abuzz with students, far more than just Milo's temporary classmates. He made his way quietly through the lunch line, ignoring the odd looks cast at him from the younger students.

"Milo", called Amaya from a table with a few of her friends when she caught sight of him with his lunch tray, "come over here! Sit with us!"

There was some giggling as Milo approached, and one of Amaya's friends whispered louder than intended across the table, " _Dang! Do you think they train them all to be that cute in Jubilife?_ "

Amaya shut her down, "Cassy, shush. Geez, that's really awkward. Anway, Milo you can sit here", she gestured to an empty seat next to her, and grinned, "Loudmouth over there is Cassy".

Cassy, now wearing a massive blush and a poorly concealed smile, could only wave, as Amaya continued, "and this is Jessine, Madi, and Rila."

They all greeted him politely, and wanted to know, as most people did, all about the JPTA and growing up in the big city.

Judging by how many people greeted them and stopped by for brief chats at their lunch table, Milo decided Amaya must be the queen bee of the 'popular girls', though she certainly didn't look or act the part. Most likely she earned her top spot on the social ladder by being the smartest, the strongest, and the most confident. That was how that kind of thing usually went, Milo had seen it before.

When their 30 minutes for lunch was spent, Milo followed Amaya and her friends to the same field he'd used for training the previous day.

Most of Mr. Kalu's class was already assembled, including the man himself, so they got underway.

"I'm sure you've all guessed what's up here, so I'll just lay it out. We're gonna have one of you battle Milo using the practice Pokémon as usual. Also, the rest of the school will be out to watch, in about…well, right now."

He gestured to the field gates, where dozens of younger students and their teachers were filing out, looking both excited and awestruck.

 _Oh man, they're making this a school-wide spectacle_ , thought Milo.

"Okay", Kalu clapped his hands together excitedly, "Milo versus who? Any takers?"

The older students, seeing the whole student body gathered to observe, were all hesitant and shy, except for one;

"Count me in", said Amaya confidently, a determined smile on her face, "I'll use my own Pokémon, too."

"Perfect!" Kalu couldn't hide his joy at the matchup, "Our strongest student taking on our honored guest! Let's get this going!"

-o-

"What do you say, Milo?" Amaya turned to face him, a determined smile on her face, "Just one on one, me and you?"

Milo considered this. Amaya's Milotic would necessarily require him to choose Azura, as Blaze would be laid out flat in no time by a fully evolved, high powered Water-type. Could Azura take that kind of firepower?

 _Only one way to know for sure. Even if we lose, we'll learn something._

"Alright", he answered, "let's do this. I'll use Azura."

They lined up on opposite sides of the field, as the rest of the students sat around the edges. Milo let Blaze out to watch as well, and the young Chimchar stood himself in Milo's trainer box to observe and learn and do his best to support his new trainer.

"Just so we're clear", Milo called across the field, "one-on-one, I won't switch out. Okay?"

"You got it, Milo. Alright, come on out Coral!"

Amaya flung a Dive Ball and sure enough, a wonderful Milotic emerged onto the training field, ready to fight, bringing cheers from the assembled students.

"Azura, let's go to work!"

Azura sprang out on the field, the prospect of a good battle running like fire through her veins.

"Let's get it started", yelled Amaya, "Coral, use Twister!"

 _Of course_ , thought Milo, _she's gonna hit as hard as possible and try to beat us down quickly with raw strength. She'll have to hit us first!_

"Azura, let's move! Use Pursuit to dodge and then Shadow Ball!"

As the large Water-type created a sizable tornado to fling at Azura, she jumped into a crack in thin air and popped out swiftly behind Coral, a Shadow Ball already forming at her jaw. The Shadow Ball struck the unprepared Milotic and it fell forward and skidded across the ground from the impact. Some of the teachers nervously pulled their students a bit further away from the field just in case.

"Get up, Coral! Give me a big Hydro Pump!"

 _Hydro Pump?_ Milo's brow furrowed, _That's one strong Milotic._

"Don't stop moving, Azura, get out of the way!

Ingeniously, Azura began running in circles around her opponent, who fired several Hydro Pumps, each as inaccurate as the last. The speed drills paid off, Coral couldn't keep up with Azura's pace. Finally, Milo noticed Amaya's Pokémon pause, trying to figure where Azura was going next. It was the small opening he needed.

"Azura, Dark Pulse! A big one!"

The same massive, dark wave that had creamed the kids on the route to Sandgem washed viciously over Coral the Milotic. But Coral was stronger by far than your average Bidoof, and didn't go down.

"Coral, Ice Beam!"

Milo, slightly surprised that Coral was still going, didn't react fast enough, and Azura took the Ice Beam counterattack directly. Now both Pokémon were breathing heavily.

 _Time to disappear_ , Milo thought with a smirk. He and Azura had worked on this on the way to Twinleaf.

"Azura, Night!"

Just as she had done against the three kids a few days ago, Azura coated herself in a dark aura, and produced a sort of explosion of thick darkness, completely obscuring the field. Soon came the familiar burst of supernatural sensory power into Milo's brain and he could "see" the rough outlines of Coral and Amaya on the opposite side of the field.

"What?" Amaya was flummoxed, "What the heck is going on? What kind of move is that?"

"The kind of move where we don't get hit! Azura, Shadow Ball, and keep moving!"

Murmuring came from the students and teachers alike who were assembled to watch. Nobody had seen anything like this, even from the battles they saw on TV.

A yelp could be heard from Coral as the Shadow Ball struck home, but Amaya was clever.

"Alright, let's make them quit hiding. Coral, Recover!"

"No you don't! Azura, Dark Pulse!"

The Night cloud dispersed, revealing Azura, as a colossal outpouring of Dark energy struck Coral before she could activate Recover. She was down, unconscious.

Mr. Kalu, acting as referee, called out, "Coral the Milotic is unable to battle! The match goes to Milo and Azura, from Jubilife!"

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Chapter 3 Thoughts: So Milo takes a detour and meets another standout Trainer. Rival? Companion? Love interest? Some combination thereof? Time (and more chapters) will tell. I really enjoy writing Amaya, her dry/blunt style is really good for me to shake things up, in my opinion.**

 **This has been retouched a bit, nothing huge. I'd love to hear your thoughts, any thoughts at all! If you've got questions, ask away! I obviously don't own Pokémon, just my OC's.**

 **If you like it, keep reading, and feel free to follow/favorite. That way you can keep up to date with Milo and other people will be more likely to find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Companions on the Journey

Milo Chapter 4 – Companions on the Journey

 **Amaya**

 _My…my first loss_ …

Amaya could only sit and process this. School had ended about an hour ago, it was late afternoon. She could only vaguely remember going about the rest of her day numbly. She seemed to recall Milo winning against a couple of the other students once the audience dispersed; trifling fights using the practice Pokémon owned by the school. He had handled them easily.

But the big fight, the one everyone had watched, the battle in front of every student in the Twinleaf Pokémon School, had ended in her first – her only – defeat.

Everyone had gone back inside for what amounted to a guest lecture from Milo on battle mentality and how to improvise on the fly. Amaya had stared blankly at her desk the entire time. When the bell rang, she had returned without thinking to the scene of her humiliation. She sat now, cross-legged, in the Trainer Box on the field where just hours before, Milo's Umbreon had unleashed that massive Dark Pulse that shattered her illusions of grandeur.

"I'm supposed to be the next big 'Twinleaf prodigy'", Amaya muttered to herself, "But this Milo guy, he just shows up and…and does _that_? How? I must be the worst 'prodigy' in history."

"Hey, Amaya."

She started at the sound of Mr. Kalu's voice behind her. Had he heard her talking? Oh no, she must've sounded so whiny and pretentious...

He sat down next to her and seemed to understand. He smiled and began, "I would tell you not to get down on yourself, but I think we both know you're way past that."

"I…yeah, Mr. Kalu. I'm not supposed to lose. Everyone expects me to be the next big Twinleaf Trainer, you know? But some random JPTA kid just stomps all over me. I'm barely average."

"I know what you mean", he nodded, "this town, despite its size, has a proud tradition of producing outstanding Pokémon Trainers. It's really quite remarkable. And yes, people have already begun to put the weight of that tradition on you, fairly or unfairly. But I'll tell you something else. Something really interesting."

She looked curiously over at her instructor as he paused before continuing with a gleam in his experienced eyes, "That Milo is no ordinary kid, not even by JPTA standards. Don't worry about losing to him. There's something…really special about the way he battles, an incredible sense of instinct that I've only seen in a handful of people before. He's got battling brains that you just can't teach, and the determination to back it up, too. He's certainly the best beginner I've seen in recent memory."

"Mr. Kalu", Amaya observed darkly, "somehow your glowing praise of my opponent is failing to make me feel any better. I don't care who he is, I can't believe I lost my first match in front of the whole school."

She stuffed her face angrily back into her hands with a frustrated moan.

"…You're lookin' at this wrong, Amaya. You gotta turn your head around."

"Uh, what? What's that even mean?"

Kalu's concentration deepened, Amaya could tell he really wanted her to understand what he was saying, "Amaya, you lost. Not only that, you only landed one solid hit. It's a tough pill to swallow. I get that, I really do. But if you never get beat, you'd never know how to get better. Use this to fuel you. So you lost to Milo? Train harder, so that next time you'll beat him. A defeat isn't a road block; it's a sign post. Does that make sense?"

Amaya cocked her head to one side and frowned. She thought about this deeply before answering; "Actually…yeah, I think I get it. I shouldn't pretend not to be upset. I should be, uh, productively upset? Is that right?"

"Yes! That's exactly it."

"Okay. Cool. Yeah, I can get behind that philosophy. But…where does this sign point? I'm all for getting stronger, but _how_ do I get better from here?"

Mr. Kalu stood up and dusted himself off as he answered, "Well, you're about to graduate and go off on your journey. You get stronger by being around people better than you and learning from them."

"What are you saying?"

As he walked off, Kalu offered one last nugget of experienced wisdom, "I'm saying, when the time comes, surround yourself with the best, and one day, you'll discover that you are one of them."

Alone, Amaya hugged her knees to her chest as she sat on the dirt battle field.

 _Surround myself with the best…?_

She knew what he meant. At first, she rejected the idea as ridiculous and insulting, but… Gradually she warmed to the notion. Kalu's logic made sense, after all. To get better, she needed someone at least as talented as herself. Nobody like that could be found in Twinleaf, certainly. With a deep breath and a sense of conviction, she got up, dusted herself off, and ran to find Milo.

 **Milo**

 _So_ , he thought to himself, _I've seen Twinleaf. Now I guess it's back to Jubilife, then I head East._

He sat on the bench in the middle of town that he had visited yesterday, mindlessly petting the sleeping Azura, curled up contentedly beside him, as Blaze ran about entertaining himself.

He was in the midst of pondering his prospects for the Rock type Gym that awaited him in Oreburgh when he heard someone run up behind him. He turned to see Amaya, with a fiery look in her eyes that was rather terrifying.

She slowed and took a deep breath as she approached him;

"Milo, I want to come with you. You're the only person I know who is stronger than me, so travelling with you is the best way to grow as a Trainer."

Milo was speechless. Azura lifted her head curiously as Milo found his voice and stuttered, "Uh, y-you what? You want to come on my journey? A-aren't you still in school? Where is this coming from?"

"You're stronger than I am, and I want to learn from that. Training with you is the best way for me to improve. Plus, if you let me come along, you get someone strong to train with as well. I'll be graduating in less than two weeks and we can tackle the Gym challenge together. What do you say? You are doing the Gym challenge, right?"

"Umm, yeah… That's what the best Trainers do, after all. I – I guess it would be cool to have a travel buddy. Sure! I guess that means I'm staying in Twinleaf for a while, though…"

Amaya was quick to reassure him, "Thank you, you won't regret this! With both of us training together, we'll be the best two in Sinnoh in no time, just you wait!"

Milo was taken aback by her intensity, but the more he thought about it, the more it made him smile. It really would be cool to have a constant training partner and travelling companion.

Together, the two young Pokémon trainers went to the Twinleaf Inn, where they managed without much trouble to convince the kindly innkeeper to allow Milo to stay there until Amaya was ready to leave.

News spread like wildfire through the town; Amaya would be travelling with the visitor from Jubilife. Not only that, they were taking the Gym challenge! This was exceedingly rare; Gyms had become so difficult and stressful, and the travel so tedious, that the vast majority of Trainers qualified for the Pokémon League by passing a series of certification exams. Gyms were almost exclusively places for local trainers to receive type-specific training. Only a couple dozen Trainers each year took the Gym challenge, and only a handful of these made any noteworthy progress.

As it turned out, Milo's first full day in Twinleaf became something of a template for the rest of his time there. As predicted, he spent a total of about two weeks waiting until Amaya's graduation exams were over. Each day, he joined the advanced class at the Twinleaf School. He listened, offered his perspective whenever Mr. Kalu asked, and he trained and battled.

He trained in his own time, in much the same way as he had begun; focusing on speed, power, and his team's ability to act independently when necessary. A few times every day, Milo would battle against one of the advanced students using the school's training Pokémon, occasionally in front of an audience.

Finally Amaya's graduation day came, and there was a small ceremony that evening wishing her well on her journey. Several notable Twinleaf citizens made grandiose and rather vague speeches encouraging her to carry on their town's proud legacy, which made Amaya fidget nervously. When it was over, she and Milo went out to the woods just beyond the town border and were lounging on a rather large tree, watching Azura and Blaze frolic nearby;

"It's weird", she remarked, absentmindedly chucking leaves and sticks that fell from the branches overhead, "I've always felt so ready to get out of this small town, but now that it's finally time to go, I'm freaking out."

"I was just the opposite", Milo answered, "I was really nervous until the night before I left, when Azura found me. Once I knew she'd be coming along, I felt like I'd be alright."

"Huh", Amaya was only half-listening, still lost in her own thoughts, "Hey Milo, could you look over my gear again?"

He'd already gone over her packing three times, but he understood only too well the nerves she was feeling, so he agreed. She maintained her tough exterior, but he could tell that she really was freaking out below the surface.

"Azura! Blaze!" Milo called his Pokémon as he stood and brushed himself off, "we're heading back now, come on!"

After telling Amaya another four or five times that she had everything she needed, Milo went out to one of the few restaurants in Twinleaf with Amaya and her family for a late dinner, and then went back to his room at the Inn, one last time.

At long last, the fateful morning arrived. A small contingent from Twinleaf, mostly Amaya's family, classmates, and teachers, awaited her at the gate that led out of town. In fact, Milo was strongly reminded of his own departure only a few weeks ago. She was less sentimental about it than he had been, though, and after a few necessary goodbyes and encouragements, as well as the inevitable tears, Milo and Amaya left Twinleaf, headed North on the road to Sandgem.

"First stop, Sandgem Town! We'll make it today, right?"

Milo smiled. Amaya was positive brimming with energy and intensity. He reassured her, "Yeah, we'll get there about early to mid-afternoon."

They did in fact make good progress, despite Amaya's rather unnecessary insistence to pull out Coral, her Milotic, to pulverize every Bidoof and Starly unfortunate enough to cross her line of vision.

It was just after lunch when the two young trainers finally made their way through the gates of Sandgem Town.

"Alright", began Amaya, as ready to go as ever, "where's Professor Rowan's lab?"

"Hey, chill for a minute", Milo was breathing heavily, still running to catch up to his new friend; "don't you think you should take Coral through the Pokémon Center first? I know she didn't take many hits, but you can't be too careful…"

"Oh, yeah", Amaya spun around in place until she found the familiar red roofed building, "you can wait, I'll be right back."

With that, she dashed off again, and Milo stood, hands on his knees, in the middle of the main road.

"Hey, move it, kid!"

Milo jumped out of the way instinctively as a biker brushed past him, before turning back around to face him. The rider of the bike was a boy who looked about Milo's age, but was much taller. He wore very clean-looking jeans, and a grey t-shirt under a flashy red leather jacket. His light brown hair spiked stylishly outward from his head, as if he needed anything else to announce his unmistakable presence. He was evidently quite upset.

"Can't you watch where you're standing? I could've run you over, you little punk!"

"Geez, sorry", Milo held up his hands defensively, "didn't see you coming. My bad, okay? Could you calm down?"

Azura had been playing aimlessly by herself, but now she stood in front of her trainer growling softly.

The biker guy yelled, "Don't you dare tell _me_ to calm down! You're the one standing in the middle of the road like a stupid idiot! And get a freaking grip on your little Pokémon, jerk!"

This guy was quickly frustrating Milo. He wouldn't let anybody talk like that about Azura.

"That little Pokémon is my friend", Milo's voice was low, but dangerous, "and she could kick your butt, so back off. Take your bike and get going if you know what's good for you. I said I'm sorry, so let it go and move on."

The biker's eyes narrowed as he sensed Milo's challenge; "…No. I don't think I will move on. I happen to be a rising Pokémon Trainer star, so the only butt getting kicked around here will be yours. What do you say? Your little Dark type…thing, versus my three Pokémon. Or are you too chicken to walk the walk?"

"You're on, with one change", Milo answered, "I get to use both my Pokémon against all three of yours. The battlefield is that way."

The guy smirked, as he and Milo walked over to the field and stood on opposite sides, "You've got two? Don't tell me… are you supposed to be a Trainer too?"

"Yeah, believe it or not, I am", Milo retorted with no small amount of sarcasm, "The name's Milo, I just graduated from the Jubilife Pokémon Trainer Academy."

"Hah! Well, isn't this just perfect", with an arrogant flick of his head, the other Trainer shot back, "I'm Damion Parr, and I am going to be the best Trainer in all of Sinnoh, maybe the whole world. I just got out of Veilstone Pokémon College. Now I get to show you why Veilstone deserves to be called the best school in Sinnoh!"

Milo knew that Veilstone had a reputation for churning out dangerously strong Trainers. Veilstone's Pokémon College had long been the only real rival for the JPTA in terms of quality.

"Hmm. Arrogant, flashy, and disrespectful. I should've known you came from Veilstone. If this is going to turn into JPTA versus the VPC, so be it. I won't lose!"

Milo didn't really know why he was so worked up about this, but his heart was pounding intensely and he could feel the fire behind his eyes, the adrenaline coursing through his veins. It was at this point that Amaya came running back from the Pokémon Center;

"Hey Milo, I'm back, now can we – uh, whoa. Milo? Care to tell me what's up here?"

Without taking his eyes off Damion, Milo explained curtly, "Amaya, this is Damion, he's from the VPC. He thinks he can just push me around, but I'm going to prove to him that the JPTA still produces the best Trainers in the region!"

Damion noticed Amaya, and did a visible double-take, "Hey there girl. What's a hottie like you doing with a JPTA loser? Once I beat him, you're more than welcome to come with me instead."

Amaya, clearly disgusted, retorted immediately, "As if. Crush him, Milo, I'm already sick of him."

"Enough talk, then!" Damion called, "Let's do this! First one out of Pokémon loses, substitutions allowed! Get it done, Zubat!"

The bat Pokémon appeared, fluttering erratically around its half of the field. From the look of it, Milo guessed it hadn't received much training; Damion must've caught it quite recently.

"Blaze, let's go to work!"

Blaze flashed out of his ball, immediately picking up on Milo's heightened intensity and responding in kind.

"Chaarrrrr, Chim Chim!"

Damion wasn't waiting around, "Zubat, Supersonic! Now!"

"Don't give it time, Blaze! Get behind it and Flame Wheel!"

Blaze's speed training paid off; he just barely escaped the Zubat's dangerous sound waves and before it could figure out what was happening, Blaze was behind it charging a Flame Wheel.

"Dodge it!" Damion called furiously, "Get out of the way you blind bat!"

But his ferocity was lost on the Zubat, who had no idea where it was supposed to go and took Blaze's Flame Wheel head on, crumpling to the ground briefly. Milo was wary of assuming it was down, though, and sure enough Damion called out another attack;

"Tackle it! At least get in close and Supersonic again!"

Thinking quickly, Milo tried to disrupt this second Supersonic attack, "Tackle, Blaze, hit it before it confuses you!"

Both plans were successful. Blaze's Tackle hit the Zubat squarely, but it fired its Supersonic accurately before tumbling once more to the ground, unconscious. Blaze had won, but was now stumbling about, clearly confused.

"Blaze, return! Azura, you're up!"

As Azura leapt readily onto the field, Damion called his next, "Zubat botched it. Piplup, get it done!"

As the Water-type starter appeared, Milo's brain was racing, planning compulsively. No more reacting, he decided, it was time he lead this battle;

"Azura, Quick Attack! Follow that with a Pursuit!"

"Piplup, move!"

The small penguin Pokémon was no match for Azura's speed and took the Quick Attack before it could react, but it did manage to just barely avoid the Pursuit follow-up.

"Alright, now Bubble before that thing sets up to dodge!"

It was a good plan, Milo could see that because of the missed attack, Azura was off-balance and wouldn't be able to dodge in time…

"Azura, stay put and beat it back with Shadow Ball!"

The majority of the Bubble attack was dispersed, but the Shadow Ball had been a rather hasty one, so Azura still took a small hit from the Piplup's attack.

 _Alright_ , thought Milo, _time to end this_.

 _Dark Pulse_ , said a voice in his head that wasn't his own. Before he could stop himself, he heard the same words come from his own mouth, "Dark Pulse!"

Azura, responding to her Trainer's intensity, put some extra venom into her Dark Pulse, and Piplup was unconscious before it hit the dirt.

 _What…just happened?_

But there was no time to dwell on it. Damion had already thrown his last ball out, and yelled, "I can still whoop you with this last one! Starly, get it done!"

Still unsure of what had just occurred between himself and Azura, Milo decided to switch back to Blaze, who would no longer be confused.

"Azura, let Blaze finish this out!"

With a confused look, Azura trotted slowly off the field as Blaze jumped back out, eager to bring home the victory.

"Starly, Quick Attack!"

"Blaze, you can't dodge that, use Ember!"

Blaze took the Starly's Quick Attack, but because of Milo's quick thinking, the Starly got an Ember to the face. Both Pokémon withdrew to wait for instructions.

"Blaze, get in there with a Flame Wheel!"

Blaze did his best, but the Starly was just fast enough to get out of the way.

"Now Starly, Quick Attack again!"

"Keep moving Blaze, don't stop!"

Milo's gamble paid off. It was a close shave, but because Blaze could use his momentum to gain a head start he just got away from the Quick Attack. Starly couldn't pull out fast enough, and tumbled awkwardly to the ground.

"Now get in with a Focus Punch before it can get up!"

This time Starly wasn't fast enough, and Blaze's Focus Punch ended the battle.

"So, that decides that", Milo called to his opponent, "JPTA 3, VPC 0!"

"Shut up, you punk! I just got these puny little Pokémon, of course I couldn't battle effectively. Once I've had time to actually train them, I'll destroy you!"

With that, Damion Parr hopped on his bike and pedaled away furiously.

Milo watched him ride off, eyes narrowed in rage, until Amaya interrupted his thoughts,

"So, looks like you've got a rival. How did that all happen?"

"He almost ran me over on that bike", began Milo darkly, "and then blamed _me_ for it. I apologized but he wouldn't back off. Once he said he was VPC I couldn't let him go without kicking his butt. Everyone from VPC trains like that, with no compassion, no genuine care for their Pokémon! That's why the JPTA is always better. It's also why VPC grads are always butt-hurt that they can never beat us. And hey, looks like you've got a creepy admirer, I heard his little comment."

"Ugh, that was awful. Subject change, where's the lab? I still need to get my starter!"

With a small shake of his head, Milo calmed himself down enough to point to Rowan's laboratory and lead the way. As the door slid open, the Professor was waiting inside to greet the pair.

"Milo, my boy! Good to see you again, young man. I take it your visit to Twinleaf was unexpectedly productive? And you must be Amaya! I am Professor Rowan. Mr. Kalu told me to expect you."

"Yep, that's me", Amaya could hardly contain herself; "I'd like my starter Pokémon, please! You have a Turtwig, right?"

The Professor gave a kindly chuckle, "As it so happens, Turtwig is the only starter we have left at the moment. We had all three until Milo claimed that marvelous Chimchar of his, and another young man just picked up our Piplup earlier today."

"Perfect", Amaya grinned, "I decided on Turtwig a long time ago."

Milo interrupted with a question, "The other trainer…was Damion, wasn't it, Professor? The one that took Piplup?"

"Yes", said the Professor with a sigh, "I take it the two of you crossed paths?"

"We just had a battle. I swept his team, Piplup included. How could someone like him get a Trainer license, Professor? Surely you can see he doesn't care for his Pokémon partners!"

"Now listen to me, Milo", Professor Rowan's brow furrowed, "I understand your concerns, but Damion is very talented, and has years of schooling. The League does not revoke Trainer licenses because of bad attitudes. The best thing you can do is learn to accept that there will always be Trainers with a philosophy different from yours."

"But Professor, he-"

"That's enough, Milo. You and Damion may be very different Trainers, but he has as much right to catch and train Pokémon as you do. I'll hear no more about it."

Milo fell silent at the man's insistence and seriousness. Professor Rowan turned towards the side hallway and called, "Turtwig? Turtwig! I know you're back there somewhere, come out here!"

Amaya rubbed her hands together in anticipation, as Milo let both his Pokémon out to stretch their legs after the battle. Within a few seconds, the same Turtwig Milo had met two weeks earlier came barreling down the hall into the lobby.

"Hey there, Turtwig", Amaya couldn't contain herself, and ran to meet it; "I'm going to be your Trainer!"

The young Grass-type's face exploded in joy as it began to jump about in excitement at the news.

"Twig! Turt-turt-Twiiig! Tur-"

Suddenly it stopped dead, as it caught sight of Blaze lounging by Milo. Its eyes narrowed and it yelled, "Turtwig-twig!"

Blaze's ears perked up. Seeing his old playmate, Blaze gave a nervous smile and a small wave before tucking himself nervously behind Milo's leg.

"Ah yes", grinned Professor Rowan, "those two always used to be at each other's throats for some silly reason. But I'm sure you two upstanding young Trainers will find a way to help them learn to cooperate, hmm?"

Amaya's joy could not be curbed, and she responded immediately, "They'll be best of pals before you know it. Hey Milo, how about a battle?"

Milo thought about this, but politely declined, "Umm, I'd rather not, since my team and I just finished beating Damion. Besides, if we leave Sandgem now, we can be in Jubilife by dinner. I can show you the JPTA."

"Fair enough, I guess. In that case", Amaya turned to her new Turtwig, "I suppose we should get going, huh little guy? Hey, how about I call you… Terrus?"

"Twig-ig. Twig."

Terrus shot one last nasty glare at Blaze before giving Amaya a nod of agreement.

"Then you'll need this: his Pokéball", Professor Rowan handed Amaya the corresponding ball before wishing the pair good luck, "Well, the two of you had better get going if you're to make Jubilife this evening. Best of luck, and I'll be eager to start seeing your Gym battle victories before too long. I suspect that the two of you will do amazing things. Power seeks its own company, as they say."

Slightly befuddled by Rowan's little tidbit, Milo and Amaya recalled all of their Pokémon and headed out into the afternoon light. After another quick trip to the Pokémon Center to heal Blaze and Azura from their battle with Damion's team, the whole group got underway, leaving North towards Jubilife.

As they walked, the two young trainers released their four Pokémon in order to make proper introductions. The newly christened Terrus was introduced to his teammate, Coral, as well as Azura, while he still made a point of glaring menacingly at Blaze whenever possible. Amaya then recalled her two, while Milo decided to let Azura and Blaze walk with him.

All of a sudden, a voice, just like during the battle with Damion, spoke clearly in Milo's mind,

 _Master Milo? Can you hear me?_

"AAAAHHHH!" Milo jumped and screamed at the top of his lungs, sending Amaya running and spooking every wild Pokémon within a hundred meters.

"Holy crap, Milo, what's going on?" Amaya called from behind a nearby tree, "What the heck just happened?"

"I…I just heard a voice…in my head…it happened when I was fighting Damion, but I was too focused on the battle to think about it…"

Turning slowly to Azura with an expression of absolute shock on his face, Milo could hardly whisper as he voiced his suspicions, "Was…was that _you_ , Azura? Did you just…use telepathy on me?"

 _Yes, Master, but I'm so sorry I scared you!_

Milo still nearly collapsed as the voice entered his head again, but he took several deep breaths and tried to reason himself through what had just happened;

 _This is cool, it's okay, nobody is invading my head, it's just…my Pokémon communicating to me via telepathy…Okay, yeah, sure, no big deal…Alright._

 _Should I not use telepathy, Master? Is it too strange?_

Amaya, who could hear none of this, was still incredibly on edge, "Hey, Milo, what's going on? Is Azura talking to you somehow? Talk to me, what's happening here?"

"Yeah…" Milo answered shakily, "Yeah, it's Azura. She just figured out how to use telepathy. Umm, wow. Sorry, Azura, it's not your fault, I just wasn't expecting that… Definitely don't stop doing it, though, it's really cool. I was just totally surprised by it."

 _Alright. You can also just think back at me, you don't have to talk out loud._

 _Oh. Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Well, first things first, I suppose, don't call me Master. Just Milo is fine. We're partners, after all, right? We're a team. I'm nobody's Master. Wow, now that we have this connection, I have a lot of questions and I bet you do, too._

Milo turned to Amaya, who was still looking apprehensively at him, "It's cool, Amaya, I figured out how it works. Now I guess I can talk to Azura whenever I want, so if I'm awkwardly quiet for a while, you'll know what's up."

"I guess I will. Man, some Trainers have all the luck, huh? I mean, wow, actual telepathy! And she's not even a Psychic type!"

"Yeah…it's pretty cool. Still, though, we're both lucky. I mean, how many Trainers start out with a Milotic, much less one as strong and well-trained as Coral? If things keep going our way, we'll take this league by storm!"

"That's a promise", Amaya had her game face on and was in full daydreaming mode before snapping herself back to the present, "But first we should just worry about taking Route 202 by storm. We still have to make Jubilife this evening."

Fortunately, their journey was short and uneventful. Amaya called out Terrus and spent her time acquainting herself with her new partner, including the occasional battle against weak wild Pokémon. Milo spent much of the walk in silent conversation with Azura. As it turned out, Rowan's predictions about her hadn't been far off, though she couldn't tell Milo much more than the Professor already had.

 _I don't really know that much about myself_ , she revealed, _I couldn't even say for certain why I felt called to choose you. I was drawn to you as soon as I got close to that city, Jubilife, and I just…knew that I had to find you and stay with you._

Azura was also very curious as to Milo's own past, having vaguely seen many of his memories and emotions through their new connection. Milo had always been a quick study, and the pair of them had more or less mastered their new shared power by the time Jubilife's large southern gate came into view. Blaze was even able to talk to his new Trainer using Azura as a kind of messenger. As long as Azura allowed it, Milo and Blaze could speak directly to one another through her mind;

 _Milo? Azura says you can hear me, is that actually for real?_

 _Yeah, Blaze, I hear you, buddy. This is neat, huh?_

 _Oh my gosh! So much to say… Thanks for my name, and for helping me get stronger, and helping me control my fire, and trusting me, and for picking me in the first place, and not letting Terrus kick my butt, thank you thank you thank you for everything!_

Milo laughed aloud at his fiery friend's excitement.

-o-

It was around 5 o'clock in the evening when Milo led a wide-eyed Amaya to the familiar front door of the JPTA. A delighted Mrs. Ketchum opened the door and wrapped him in a welcoming embrace.

"Milo! You're back! The Professor called and told us to expect you, so I've got food all ready for you and your friend and your Pokémon." She then addressed Amaya, "You must be the young lady from Twinleaf, Amaya! It's so good to have you as a guest! My name is Deliah Ketchum, how are you?"

Amaya was still processing the size of Jubilife City, never mind the fact that she was actually standing in the most prestigious Trainer school in Sinnoh. Mrs. Ketchum's introduction shook her from her wonderment only to inspire a fresh wave of awe, "Wait…you're really Mrs. _Ketchum_? Like, you're Ash Ketchum's mom?"

"Indeed I am", laughed Mrs. Ketchum. "Come, we can talk all about it over dinner, you must be hungry!"

As the whole group settled down in the dining room, the familiar rumble of the JPTA pets brought a broad smile to Milo's face. Sure enough, Shinx, Munchlax, and Buneary all bounded noisily down the hallway to be reunited with their friend.

Milo and Amaya enjoyed a nice, private dinner with Mrs. Ketchum, and all four of their Pokémon were fed and cared for. After a brief discussion, it was decided that there really was no reason for them to stay, and that they would head East for Oreburgh in the morning.

A spare room was found for Amaya, while Milo was given his old room back for the night, which he now shared with Blaze and Azura. As he drifted off to sleep after a long day, Milo thought about how odd it seemed to come back now, how much he had already changed, and learned, in only a few short weeks. He soon fell asleep, with Azura purring contentedly at his feet, and Blaze's tail glowing softly in the corner of the room.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Chapter 4 Thoughts: I'm really making a concerted effort to differentiate Damion from the trope Rival character. That's why I emphasized the school rivalry, and gave him a real nasty streak. He's not just another rival (I hope); he represents a hugely different Trainer philosophy and has a vested interest in one-upping Milo whenever possible. I would love to hear your thoughts (pretty please)! I obviously don't own Pokémon, just my OC's.**

 **If you like it, keep reading, and feel free to follow/favorite. That way you can keep up to date with Milo and other people will be more likely to find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!**


	5. Chapter 5 - Echoes of Tragedy

Milo Chapter 5 – Echoes of Tragedy

"How do you live in a city this big? It's so…intimidating."

Amaya was voicing her concerns regarding city life over a delicious breakfast provided by the generous Mrs. Ketchum. Eloquent as ever, Milo addressed her concerns,

"I don't know, never thought about it. Seems normal to me."

Rolling her eyes, Milo's new travel companion responded, "Oh, very helpful. You sure we can't stick around and meet your friends?"

Milo stiffened slightly, "Classmates, not friends. We never saw eye to eye on how Pokémon training should work. I'd really rather hit the road."

"Bad blood, huh? Well, whatever. I guess there's a badge waiting in Oreburgh anyway."

They finished breakfast quietly and Milo said goodbye to his favorite teacher.

"Call me from Oreburgh", requested Mrs. Ketchum, "alright Milo? I want to know you're safe!"

"I will, I promise!"

As they stepped out into the fresh morning air, the sun was poking over and between the Jubilife City buildings full of people who were just getting their day started, with the Starly singing brightly from the roofs.

"How are you planning to handle Roark? I've got Coral and Terrus, and they're both super-effective, but those Rock types will wreck Blaze and I doubt Azura can sweep a Gym Leader's whole team." Amaya was always focused on the next battle, it seemed.

Having considered this in depth, Milo had an answer ready, "Rock types tend to be slow, but Roark will probably have Rock Polish to fix that. Even so, I trust Blaze's speed, but his reaction time will have to be pretty much perfect."

They continued talking as they reached the East gate of Jubilife and headed out onto Route 203.

"That'll help you dodge, but you still have to hit them. Flame Wheel and Scratch won't get you very far."

"Well, he has Focus Punch, and hopefully he can finish learning Low Kick by the time we get there. We started working on it back in Twinleaf, I think it'll be ready."

"We? What do you mean, _we_ started? Blaze is the one learning new moves."

Milo shrugged, "I try to imitate what he's doing. It helps me understand him better, and he knows he can trust me in a battle. I'd never ask my Pokémon to do something I wouldn't at least try myself."

The two young trainers were interrupted by a voice from behind them,

"I should have figured we'd cross paths again, loser."

Milo stiffened. He knew who that was,

"Damion Parr" He turned to face his new adversary, "What do _you_ want?"

"I've had some time to train the wimpy Pokémon I fought with last time. You won't get away from this without a thrashing. Prepare yourself."

"No", called Amaya, stepping out in front of her friend, "You prepare yourself, jerkweed. I've already had just about enough of you. Want to tell me why you're following us?"

Damion's eyes glinted greedily as he answered, "Ah, the pretty face has some spunk. I like that in a girl. My offer still stands, by the way. How about it? I promise I'm better connected than this nobody excuse for a Trainer."

"This 'pretty face' has enough spunk to crush you. Leave, or I'll humiliate you."

Milo looked questioningly at Amaya, but backed away nervously when he saw the steel in her narrowed eyes. Even Damion seemed to hesitate before regaining his smug composure,

"Normally, I wouldn't hit a little girl, but I'll go easy on you. Maybe you can learn something."

Not bothering with a retort, Amaya coldly threw out a Pokéball, "Terrus. Let's do this."

Immediately picking up on his Trainer's cold fury, the Tiny Turtle glowered darkly across the field at the arrogant young man he was facing.

"Too easy", said Damion, "Starly, get it done!"

Damion took the start, knowing he had both a speed and type advantage, "Aerial Ace, now."

"Catch it with Bite."

 _Dang_ , thought Milo, _Amaya is scary when she gets like this._

 _I agree,_ Azura thought back, _I didn't expect that her raw attack power would be so… well, powerful_. Milo was still adjusting to Azura's ability to hear his thoughts, but it was cool to have a Pokémon's perspective on things for a change.

Amaya's plan had worked to perfection, to Damion's dismay. Starly was stopped in its tracks as Terrus timed his Bite perfectly. The small bird was struggling, but couldn't escape the Grass type's jaws.

"Now Body Slam."

"Starly, get out! Get out of there now! What's wrong with you?"

After the Body Slam, Terrus trotted proudly back to his Trainer, virtually unscathed, while the unfortunate Starly could only groan in pain until its Trainer recalled it.

"Screw your type advantage. Who's next?" Amaya was still staring unyieldingly at Damion, who was clearly more than a little flustered.

"Hmm. Gotta finish this quick", Damion was muttering to himself, "I can't be late for my meeting in the cave… but Starly couldn't even take out a Grass type. Alright, Zubat", he released his bat Pokémon, "get it done, and fast. Supersonic!"

"Razor Leaf."

Damion's Zubat couldn't fire its attack in time, and took Razor Leaf head on. But Amaya wasn't done.

"Tackle it. Then Bite and throw it."

Her commands were executed with ruthless efficiency. Milo had beaten Damion by outthinking him, but Amaya was crushing him with raw power. As Milo watched Damion return the unconscious Zubat, Milo spoke into his link with Azura,

 _Is this really happening? Let's remember not to tick her off. Ever._

 _I'm glad she's our friend,_ replied the Dark type, resting herself on Milo's lap.

Damion was, for once, speechless, as he tossed out his last remaining Pokémon. His Piplup, he knew, had no chance against this Turtwig, especially with the type mismatch. But Amaya wasn't done thrashing him just yet,

"Terrus, return. Coral, let's do this."

If he was nervous before, it was nothing compared to Damion's reaction now, as the stunning Milotic towered above him. His face blanched. He began to stammer,

"Piplup, Bubble-"

His half-hearted attempt was a useless gesture.

"Coral, Ice Beam."

The battle was over in seconds. Milo watched with morbid satisfaction as Damion's face went through several emotions only to get stuck somewhere around shell-shocked. All his bravado gone, Damion recalled his downed Piplup, looked at Milo and Azura with a mix of anger and terror, and rode off on his bike, back towards Jubilife. As he left, they heard him call over his shoulder,

"You'll see me again. You'll pay for this, I swear."

There was an awkward silence as Amaya turned to face Milo. Finally, Milo found the only word he could think of.

"Wow."

Amaya shrugged, slightly embarrassed, "He deserved that. Shall we continue?"

"Uh, yeah, I guess we shall."

Aside from a few minor battles against wild Pokémon, which gave Blaze a chance to work on his fighting type moves, they had no interruptions until they reached a cave. As they stood in front of it, Amaya eyed the dark opening uncertainly,

"Are…you sure there's no other way to Oreburgh?"

With a confident air, Milo strolled casually into the cave, "Nope! This is it! Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Ugh. Whatever. Let's go."

Milo reached into his backpack and cheerily handed Amaya a flashlight. Without further ado, the pair of young Trainers began their trek through to Oreburgh. After a while, Azura spoke in Milo's mind,

 _Didn't Damion say something about a meeting in here? He was going to be late._

"Oh, hey, you're right", Milo suddenly recalled his rival's odd remark.

Amaya was confused, "What? I didn't say anyth- oh, Azura?"

"Hmm? Oh, yeah, sorry. Didn't Damion say something about needing to meet someone here? Wonder what that was about…"

Amaya refused to indulge his musings, however, she was definitely not enjoying their spelunking experience, "Who cares? If he set up a sketchy meeting in here then let's add that to our growing list of reasons to _get out_!"

Milo was about to make a snide comeback when he heard voices from around a corner. He was about to rush forward to greet his fellow cave-goers (he was really enjoying the whole cave thing) when he caught a snippet of their conversation;

"Where the hell is that kid?" It sounded like a rather nervous woman speaking, "I swear I'll kill him for being this late. This thing is sensitive!"

Milo motioned frantically for Amaya and Azura to be silent, as all three of them crouched behind a nearby boulder. Another woman's voice answered the first woman.

"Oakley, calm down. If he doesn't show we'll keep it for ourselves. Maybe we should anyway."

"Keep it? Annie, how does keeping a poached Lucario egg make _any_ sense? We're lucky we have this chance to sell it off and take our payday as it is. I am _not_ keeping this any longer than absolutely necessary. Where is that freaking Damion kid?"

"Please, it's not like anyone else will just stroll through here. Everyone with any sense goes around by the road."

Milo suddenly heard Amaya's voice hissing in his ear,

"There's a _road_? You swore up and down to me that this was the only way! Milo, you…"

Milo shushed her, but he knew he'd be hearing about that later. He'd felt bad about lying, but it was the only way she would agree to go through the old cave that Milo had always found so intriguing. Oh well. Besides, this was more important. They had uncovered poachers in the act of selling their illegal merchandise! To Damion, no less, though he was probably not going to show up after the beating he had taken from Amaya on the route.

 _I'm going to go out there._ Azura's voice rang in his head, full of rage, _I will stop them, and they WILL regret this._

Milo blinked in surprise, before looking down to see her snarling, practically frothing in rage. He'd never seen this from her before.

 _This…really hurts you, doesn't it Azura?_

 _You have no idea, Milo._

 _…Then let's get them. Together. Come on._

He knew in the back of his mind that this was an awful idea, but the fury of the moment, the adrenaline that ran through him like liquid fire, overtook his mind.

"POACHERS!" He screamed as he leapt from his hiding spot, making the two women, Annie and Oakley, jump at least a foot in the air. He heard Amaya scramble out behind him (he'd forgotten to inform her of this impromptu plan…) and with a flash Coral appeared beside him, staring down the pair of criminals.

"Wh-who are you?" The one called Oakley immediately released an Ariados and began to panic, "How did you find this place, how long were you hiding?"

Her partner, Annie, brought out an Espeon, and both Pokémon moved forward to menace the young Trainers as the two women moved to cover up the poorly concealed Egg behind them.

"You hurt the Pokémon that laid that Egg, didn't you? How dare you! You…you evil people!"

Milo knew his words sounded stupid and foolish, but he couldn't imagine anyone willing to actually abuse wild Pokémon, much less steal their Egg to sell it like some kind of black market thugs.

"Oakley, they're just kids. We can wipe them out and run if we do it quick."

"I agree, Annie. Let's dash. Grab the Egg."

Milo refused to allow them to escape, "No, you're not going anywhere! Azura, Shadow Ball!"

Azura produced a massive orb of ethereal energy, big enough to send the Ariados skidding across the rocky ground while the Espeon was slammed brutally for massive damage.

Annie was incensed, "Rrgh…How dare you attack Team Rocket, you insolent freaks!"

Oakley and her Ariados attempted to retaliate, "String Shot them, Ariados!"

"No you don't", yelled Amaya, "Coral, Ice Beam that oversized bug!"

The unfortunate Ariados had no time for an effective String Shot before it crumpled under the enormous power of the ensuing Ice Beam.

Milo's brain was moving quickly; he released Blaze and gave a quick series of commands,

"Azura, use Night, and show Blaze where that Egg is. Blaze, you rush in and bring it back here safely. Now!"

As Azura produced the familiar explosion of absolute Darkness, Milo cautioned Amaya, "Be ready with a Water Pulse in case they try anything as we get out. We need to get this Egg to a Pokémon Center and report these two."

"What? What is this? Oakley, I can't see anything! What in the name of Arceus did that Umbreon just do?"

Milo narrowed his eyes, watching for the first small sign of trouble, as Blaze tilted his head and dashed into the black cloud.

There was a further few seconds of chaos as both Annie and Oakley screeched and fumbled uselessly about, trying to find and reclaim their illegal prize. Blaze came dashing back out, his small face full of an unusual seriousness as he took great care to hand the Egg unharmed to his Trainer.

With one final Dark Pulse from Azura for good measure, Milo and Amaya took off sprinting through what little remained of the cave, towards Oreburgh. Annie and Oakley tried to follow, but they'd been unprepared for the beating they had taken and could only watch in fury as the two teenagers took off with the Egg.

Luckily, the whole encounter had taken place no more than a quarter mile from the exit of the cave. In a minute or two, Milo and Amaya sprinted out into the afternoon sunlight of Oreburgh.

Hands on her knees, Amaya stopped, gasping for breath after their sprint, and asked, "So…now that we got it out, what do we do with it?"

"We should probably take it to the Pokémon Center", Milo responded, "Nurse Joy will know what to do. From there we can also contact the police and tell them about those two women. Didn't they mention Team Rocket? They were definitely bad news."

"Good plan. Let's go."

As quickly as they could, they found the Center and walked straight up to the desk. The ever-cheery Joy asked them, "What can I do for the pair of – oh my goodness!"

She had noticed the Egg that Milo was cradling in his arms.

"Is that… where did you get that Egg? That's the Lucario Egg that was poached two days ago!"

"We just came from Jubilife, Nurse Joy." Milo was all business, "We went through the cave and found two women waiting to sell this to a trainer named Damion Parr. We, umm, forcibly took it away from them and figured you would know what to do. Are you familiar with this particular Egg?"

"Y-yes, it belongs – well, belonged – to a family of wild Lucario that lived in a cave just a couple miles from the town. Everyone was very excited that the local Lucario had made an Egg, but it was stolen two days ago. Unfortunately, the parents were hit with nerve gas to incapacitate them and they-" Nurse Joy paused, and her normally bright face fell. She could hardly finish her sentence without bursting into tears, "they didn't make it. That Egg is already an orphan."

A crushing silence overtook the whole space. Nurse Joy sobbed quietly while Milo stood, shocked and horrified at what he had just heard. He felt his knees become weak. He hobbled numbly over to a waiting chair and crumbled into it, head in hands. Amaya's face had fallen into the same cold rage that had overtaken her during her battle with Damion.

Amidst the different reactions, it was Azura whose emotions were by far the strongest. With tears rolling down her face and a Dark aura emanating from her entire body, the small Dark-type huddled into Milo's lap. He could feel blinding rage and unfathomably deep sorrow seething within her.

After a few minutes, Nurse Joy was able to compose herself enough to take the Egg to an incubator in the back, and call the police to the Pokémon Center. Office Jenny came as quickly as she could and was soon apprised of the situation. She knelt carefully in front of Milo to get his attention and asked as patiently as she could, given the circumstances,

"Young man, thank you so much for your efforts. I know it's hard right now, but I need you to give me as much information as possible so we can try to track down the people who did this. What can you tell me?"

Taking a deep breath, Milo forced himself to concentrate, "You're right, Officer. We were only in the cave because I felt like being different and not taking the road…"

As quickly and completely as he could, Milo recounted the whole encounter in detail. Officer Jenny was thrilled to have names, physical descriptions, and affiliations for the two suspects, though she had to inform a disgruntled Milo that until Annie and Oakley were caught, there wasn't enough evidence to charge Damion with any involvement in the crime.

Once Milo was done, Jenny stood and said, half to herself, "We knew Team Rocket was still a factor behind the scenes somewhere, maybe now we can pick up that cold trail again…"

After a few follow-up questions, the policewoman took her leave, adding on her way out, "Here's the emergency phone number for our station, if you think of anything else, Milo. This town can't thank you enough for your bravery. I'll probably see you soon."

Once the Officer was gone, Nurse Joy spoke up from her usual station behind the counter, "She's right, you know; when word of this gets out, you'll be a local celebrity. You have no idea how much that Lucario family meant to the people here. At any rate, I've booked each of you a room here at the Pokémon Center for at least tonight. Please let me know if there's anything I can do for either of you."

Feeling mentally and emotionally exhausted, Milo and Amaya found their rooms and threw down their things. Amaya came to Milo's room and flopped onto the small couch while Milo sat tiredly on the bed. There was silence until Amaya spoke up,

"When were you planning to tell me there was a road?"

Milo managed a small chuckle, "Heh. Well, I guess you were going to figure it out eventually. Sorry, I've just always wondered what that cave was like. I grew up next to it, but we were never allowed anywhere close to it. I never expected a poacher's hideout, though."

He released Blaze aimlessly, while half-listening to Amaya's response, "Well, don't lie to me like that again, you punk. You saw what I can do to people who piss me off."

"Yeah, hey, can we talk about that?" Milo shivered as he recalled the raw power Amaya had unleashed when she had flattened Damion's team earlier, "That was kind of crazy… Where did you get that kind of power?"

The small girl merely shrugged and answered offhandedly, without looking at Milo, "I've had Coral for a long time, so she's pretty strong. Terrus has been a quick learner, too."

"Well, it was super impressive, Amaya."

"…Thanks, Milo."

Another silence. Not awkward or strained, just tired. Both Trainers were lost in their thoughts until Amaya began again,

"You were more impressive though, attacking those poachers to rescue that Egg."

"I mean, I only did just enough to get the Egg away from them. Plus you helped out."

"No, Milo, I'm serious", Amaya sat up now, and looked intensely at Milo, "That was really awesome of you. You just automatically jumped in to save that Pokémon. That kind of thing sets you apart as a Trainer. I think I understand what Kalu told me back in Twinleaf."

"Umm, thanks…What did Kalu tell you exactly?" Milo's cheeks flushed at the unexpected and fervent praise. This earnest attitude was uncharacteristic of his new friend.

"When you beat me the first time, I was pretty torn up. Kalu gave me a pep talk, and also told me he saw something in you, something you can't teach. I didn't get it, but seeing you do what you did today, and seeing your Pokémon dive in with you unquestioningly, I think I understand now."

"I…uh…thanks, Amaya. I just…did what I had to. Speaking of which", Milo turned to his two Pokémon and broke into a huge smile; "you guys were fantastic. We couldn't have saved that poor Egg without all three of us. Great job today, both of you, and great teamwork."

Blaze responded enthusiastically, but Azura didn't seem to notice. She was staring solemnly out the window, lost in her own mind. Milo recalled how violent her reaction had been to the poachers… he had a suspicion that this was somehow personal for her, but he'd have to wait to ask her about it in private. For now, he reached over to her and gently stroked her head, just below her ears where he knew her favorite spot was.

 _Thank you_.

Her voice was still sad, he could tell.

 _Of course, Azura. If you decide you want to talk, I'm always here for you._

 _…Alright. Maybe later tonight. Milo…what you did meant a lot to me. I really do appreciate it._

Milo decided to leave her alone for the time being. He returned Blaze, and he and Amaya went out into the town to find a place to eat dinner, leaving Azura at her perch by the window.

They found a small, relatively cheap place to eat dinner in Oreburgh, but their dinner was quiet. Milo couldn't get his mind off the Egg they had rescued. What would happen to it? How soon would it hatch? Would the baby Pokémon be cared for or released? He felt attached to it…

Before too long they were done eating, so Milo got up and paid and he and Amaya returned to the Pokémon Center.

"Hey, so what's the plan tomorrow?"

Milo hadn't really thought much about it, but it seemed pretty straightforward, "Well, I guess we get up and challenge the Gym, right? I'll meet you in the lobby at, say, 9:30?"

Amaya shrugged, "Sounds good to me. See you in the morning."

Milo opened the door to his room to see Azura sitting in the middle of the floor, tail flicking back and forth, waiting for him.

 _If you still feel like listening, I have a story for you._

 _Alright. I'm ready when you are, Azura._

-o-

 **Azura [Flashback]**

"Momma? What's going on? Where's everyone running to?"

Eva, the young Eevee, looked questioningly up into her mother's worried eyes. She could hear what sounded like yelling, crashing, and fighting a long ways off. The kindly Espeon picked up her daughter by her neck fur and began to run, saying,

"It's okay, Eva, everything's going to be okay. We just have to leave for a while. We may have to live in a new place."

Eva had been Azura's name when she was born to a loving Espeon mother and Flareon father.

"Where's Daddy?"

She could see a tear roll down her mother's soft cheek before she answered with a trembling voice, "Your father has to go help fight. He'll find us when everything settles down."

"But who is Daddy fighting?"

"Some humans came into our forest a while ago, sweetheart. Daddy's fighting so they can't get to our family."

"But you said humans were nice, Momma! You said that when human Trainers catch you they help you be strong and they take care of you. Why does daddy have to fight them?"

Eva's mother put her down softly in the brush before looking down at her with a sad, but loving gaze,

"Listen closely to me, Eva. Not all humans are nice. Most of them are good, but some are very, _very_ bad. Some only want to catch you so they can sell you to make money. They won't love you or take care of you. You must always be careful that any human you find is a good human. Do you understand me?"

"I…I do, Momma."

"You are a special little Eevee, your different color fur marks you as rare and valuable to these bad humans. That means if they find you they will try very hard to capture you. That's why Daddy's gone to help the rest of the forest Pokémon fight them off. You must promise me you'll always be wary of bad humans. Promise me, Eva."

"I promise, Momma."

"Good, now hide in there, in that hole under the tree. Go on, I'm going to make sure we're safe and then I'll join you."

Scared and confused, with the fighting sounds still far away but growing louder, the little Eevee crawled under the tree roots and stared out, waiting desperately for her mother's return, her small heart beating faster than it ever had before.

In another couple of minutes, she heard her mother's voice, as another Pokémon approached;

"Who's there? Who is it? Oh! Oh, dear Arceus, Ferno it's you, thank goodness!"

Eva was overjoyed to hear her father's voice respond, "Yes…I'm here. But, we – ugh – we can't stay…"

His grunt of pain alerted his wife and daughter, and before too long Eva's mother deduced the danger, "Dear, you're hurt! What happened? What do you mean we can't stay? Is the fighting over?"

"There's…too many of them. They have gas and armor. They beat us back, I had to run, had to – to come and warn you two. I'm one of the few who got away. Psyonne, they're targeting children."

"…Daddy?"

Eva quietly called from her hiding spot. Her father heard and poked his head in under the tree, and little Eva felt his familiar warmth.

"My beautiful Eva. I need you to be strong, okay? I don't know what's going to happen, but no matter what, you _must_ be silent. Do not come out until you are absolutely sure everything is quiet again, alright?"

"I…I'm scared, Daddy."

"I know. I know it's frightening. But you need to be brave right now. Promise me, my little girl. Promise you'll stay safe."

"Okay, Daddy."

No sooner had Eva retreated further back into the underground root system than human voices exploded all around the family's small clearing.

"Here's two Eons!"

"Gas 'em! Check for Eevee nearby!"

Chaos exploded all around her as Eva began to cry from terror. But she had promised her father, and she remained silent and hidden. She heard screams and yells from both her parents, sounds of fighting and then… then the sound she dreaded most of all. Silence fell, broken only by two soft thuds. A pause, then her father's voice whispered weakly,

"Eva…stay…hidden…I love you…my daughter…"

The hardest thing the little Eevee had ever done was to wait silently for the next five minutes, until she could no longer hear the retreating humans' footsteps. By some miracle, they hadn't managed to find her.

When at last she dared to emerge from under her tree, she ran straight to the limp forms of her mother and father.

"Momma? Daddy? Please, wake up, please! Momma, Daddy, please, I need you!"

Neither of them responded. They were already dead.

 **[End flashback]**

-o-

 _I evolved fairly soon after that. I spent all my time trying to find grow stronger. I decided that if I were stronger, nobody could take my world from me again._

Milo stared in shock at Azura, who was now settled in his lap, staring him in the eyes as she related her story.

"Azura…." He almost didn't know what he could say, "I'm so sorry. I understand now why those poachers made you so upset. I'm so, so sorry."

Blaze, who had been listening somberly, climbed up onto the bed to give his new teammate the most meaningful hug he could come up with. Milo joined, and the three of them sat in silence, wrapped in a group embrace.

It was still early, but given all that had transpired, Milo and his team elected to go to bed early and try to put all this behind them. After all, tomorrow was the day they were going to get their first badge.

 **Chapter 5 Thoughts: So now you have Azura's backstory. I'm pretty happy with it, but as always, I would love to know what you thought. I am open to suggestions, constructive criticisms, and requests! I love hearing from readers.**

 **If you like it, keep reading, and feel free to follow/favorite. That way you can keep up to date with Milo and other people will be more likely to find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!**


	6. Chapter 6 - Lessons and Growth

Milo Chapter 6 – Lessons and Growth

At 9:30 the next morning, Milo met Amaya in Oreburgh Pokémon Center's lobby, as agreed. As they snacked on the free breakfast provided for Center guests, Milo went to make a couple of calls. First to Mrs. Ketchum;

"Milo? Hello, are you there?"

"Hi, Mrs. Ketchum! We made it to Oreburgh yesterday, so I'm calling like I promised."

"That's great, thank you, dear! How was your trip?"

"Well, actually-"

Milo was about to launch into the whole story, when the line rang, and Professor Rowan's face appeared next to Mrs. Ketchum's.

"Milo? Ah, hello there, my boy. In Oreburgh, I see? Ah, and Deliah! A pleasure as always. I'm not interrupting, am I?"

"Actually, Professor, you may be able to help with this. I have a story for you both."

With that, Milo recounted as diligently as he could his encounter with Annie and Oakley, and the rescue of the Lucario Egg.

"Oh, Milo, that's just awful", Mrs. Ketchum was the first to speak when he had finished, "I'm just so glad you could rescue that poor baby Egg! That is just like those Rocket bullies, too."

Rowan was rubbing his beard darkly with one hand, "Indeed. It seems the Sinnoh authorities will have to redouble their efforts to quash organized crime. Thank you for bringing this to my attention, young man. You're quite right, I may be able to make a few well-placed calls and accelerate the response process. But I also called you for another reason."

"What's that, Professor?"

"Your Umbreon. I have uncovered some further information on her."

Milo's face lit up, "Really? Hey, Azura!" He called off-screen to his partner, who came into view shortly, "The Professor may have something to help us understand what makes you so special!"

"Your Umbreon is what we officially call a 'shiny' Umbreon. Every Pokémon species has a peculiar variation that is exceedingly rare, which we experts call 'shiny' Pokémon. I'm going on very little here, since no shiny Umbreon has been recorded in almost a hundred years, but I do believe that she fits the description. This would explain some of her abnormal power. As always, I will keep you apprised if I learn anything else."

"Whoa…thanks, Professor! I remember hearing about shiny Pokémon in school once, but I never really knew much about them except that they were so rare they were almost impossible to find. I never thought Azura would turn out to be one!"

"Hey Milo", called Amaya from behind him, "we gonna head for the Gym or what?"

Mrs. Ketchum heard the question, and quickly bid farewell to her young friend, "Oh, go on, Milo! I can't wait to see your first badge! Have fun!"

"Remember", advised Rowan, "to remain calm and fight your way. If Roark controls the battle, you won't stand a chance."

"I'll try and remember that, Professor."

With that, Milo hung up, took a deep breath, and said, "Alright, Amaya, ready when you are. Let's win a badge."

It didn't take them any more than a couple of minutes to locate the Oreburgh Gym. They entered anxiously, and found that there was some kind of class going on.

"Alright", called a young-ish man in a red construction helmet, "I want the Geodude students here working on Rollout. Anyone with an Onix over with me, I'm going to talk about improving the accuracy of your Rock Throw. Oh, hey there!"

He noticed Milo and Amaya standing awkwardly inside the entrance. With an exuberant smile, he asked "Did you come for a workshop with your Rock-types? Let's see them! I'll be right over to greet you properly."

As the students dispersed to carry out their assigned exercises, the confident leader approached the two teenagers and offered his hand, "I'm Roark, Gym Leader here in Oreburgh, expert in Rock-types. I'm also in charge of all local training nowadays. Now, what kind of Pokémon did you bring to work with?"

Clearing his throat, Milo began in a small voice that betrayed his growing nerves, "Actually, umm, we're here for a – a challenge…Can we, umm, battle you?"

A look of genuine surprise overcame Roark, but it was quickly replaced by a huge grin, as he called out, "Hey, everyone! Stop what you're doing, let's head to the arena! We got ourselves a treat today; two challengers!"

A buzz broke out amongst the Rock type trainees. To have a single challenger was rare, but to have two of them together was almost unheard of! This hadn't happened in years! Roark led Milo and Amaya across the rocky lobby floor and through a winding tunnel to an arena that was, predictably, also made of rock.

It was like a rectangular bowl, with tall jagged rocks jutting up all around the outside. The kindly Gym Leader noticed Amaya's look of furious concentration, and Milo's trembling hands.

"First challenge, huh? Don't worry, kids. I won't go easy, but I'll try and help you feel comfortable. After all, you'll need your best to get through three of my Pokémon! By the way, which of you is going first?"

Amaya opened her mouth to answer, but Milo beat her to it, "Me. I'll go. I need to battle before I psych myself out too much."

Roark shook his hand and agreed, "Sounds good to me. What's your name, my friend? And where do you come from?"

"I'm Milo. I graduated from the JPTA recently."

"Aha! A JPTA grad, eh? Should be a good fight! I love the way they teach strategy over there, the JPTA challengers always make me think fast. Right, let's get the referee out here!"

An official-looking assistant strode to the middle of the sideline, as Roark crossed the field and Milo took up position in his Trainer box. Amaya joined the Gym students in the stands, paying as close attention as she could.

"This is an official battle between Roark, the Gym Leader of Oreburgh and Milo the challenger! Each side will use a maximum of three Pokémon, and only the challenger may substitute. The Trainer who knocks out the other's Pokémon first wins. Also, this battle will be recorded for official League purposes only. Are there any questions or disagreements?"

"No", called Milo, "I'm ready!"

"Right", said Roark with excitement, "then I'll start off! Geodude, let's rock!"

"Blaze, let's get to work!"

"A Chimchar, huh? Bold choice, but I think I know what you're up to."

"You might know, but that won't help you! Blaze, it's time to move, Double Team, and keep it going!"

Almost before Milo was done talking, copies of Blaze were running circles around Roark's Geodude at blinding speed.

"Look for an opening, and get in with a Focus Punch!"

"Not so fast, Milo. Stealth Rock!"

Geodude closed its eyes and gave a loud yell. To Milo's horror, small sharp rocks popped up all over the battlefield. He tried to react,

"Blaze, jump! Try and get to the edge of the field!"

But his efforts were wasted. Before he could gather his momentum, the small Chimp Pokémon cried out in pain as he stepped on one of the jutting rocks, and tripped over the next, sending him flying into the edge of the arena with a loud crash.

"No, Blaze! Are you alright, buddy?"

"Chim…chim…chARR!"

Blaze came charging out of the dust. He was fine. And now he was angry.

"Yes! Come on, Blaze, Focus Punch!"

Unprepared for the furious onslaught, the Geodude was sent flying by the super effective hit. It smashed into the opposite side of the arena. Gasps could be heard from the assembled watchers. A tiny little disadvantaged Fire type Pokémon had just gotten level with Roark's Geodude! But Roark was far from finished.

"Not bad, Milo, I admire your Chimchar's spirit. But two can play that game! Geodude, Rock Throw!"

The dust was still settling when a small boulder came soaring out, straight for Blaze. Not for nothing, though, was the agility training Milo had emphasized. Without needing a direction, Blaze sprinted to one side, escaping the boulder with relative ease.

"Perfect, don't stop moving. Another Focus Punch!"

"Keep it away, Geodude, another Rock Throw!"

Geodude complied instantly, launching another rock at its evasive target. Blaze dodged easily and landed another solid Focus Punch.

"Geodude, get up! Geodude!"

But when the cloud settled, Roark's Pokémon was unconscious.

"Geodude is unable to continue, Chimchar is the winner!"

Milo's brain was working furiously. Blaze looked ready to continue, but the young Trainer was alert enough to look twice. His Pokémon would surely be hurting from running on the Stealth Rocks, and his speed could be useful again later, if he was given a short rest.

"Alright, Onix, you're up next!"

 _Perfect_ , thought Milo, _Onix is going to be tough, but he's much slower. Azura should be able to take it out with enough hits, and she'll be fast enough to keep out of its way, too._

"Blaze, return! Great job, bud! Azura, let's get to work!"

Blaze gave a proud cheer as he disappeared into his Pokéball, and with another flash, Azura appeared in his place. She gave a surprised bark as her feet fell onto the Stealth Rocks from Geodude.

 _Sorry, Azura, but you're going to have to fight through this_.

 _I'll be fine, just wasn't expecting that. My,_ she noticed the Onix, _he's a big one…_

Roark called out the first attack of the second round, "Rock Throw, Onix!"

 _Time to move, girl. Keep that thing at bay, we'll focus on range hits._

Seemingly without direction, Azura sprinted off to her left.

"Again, Onix, aim carefully, it's fast!"

"Dodge, and Shadow Ball!"

As the second boulder crashed harmlessly behind her, Azura fired off a Shadow Ball. It connected perfectly, but the massive Onix wasn't visibly harmed by it.

 _I know Onix have massive Defense, but I didn't think its Special Defense would be that high. This may take a while._

"Now get in there with a Headbutt, Onix!"

 _Milo, it's trying to close the gap, do I keep moving or let it close?_

 _Maybe we can do both, try Pursuit to get behind it, but not yet…_

As the Onix charged forward, Azura held her ground with a snarl. Closer came the Onix, and Milo had to steel his nerves and focus until just before the massive Rock Snake impacted his partner…

"NOW!"

Azura vanished into thin air as the bewildered Onix flew through the spot she had just occupied. Before it could recover, she appeared behind its head and smashed into it with all her might. Her hit, combined with the leftover momentum of its failed Headbutt, sent Onix crashing headfirst into the wall.

"Onix, use your tail!"

It wasn't a move, per se, but Onix understood his Trainer. It began to flail its tail, unsure of where exactly Azura had gotten to. Roark's quick strategy paid off. Azura was caught unprepared by a swipe to the side as she landed which took her legs out and brought her tumbling to the rocky floor.

Milo grimaced, but just managed to keep his cool. Azura could take that hit, he knew. He needed to press the attack before Onix was fully recovered from its collision with the wall.

"Dark Pulse, Azura, keep it down!"

The wave of Dark energy forced the Onix clumsily back to the floor, trapped at the edge of the arena.

"Now give it a Confusion!"

As the monstrous snake tried to pick itself out of the wall, the psychic blast left it shaking its head, obviously dazed, but not down yet.

 _Back off, Azura, it's almost done, but it'll be more unpredictable than ever now._

As Azura backed away from the thrashing Onix, Roark called out, "Hey Onix, just give me as many Rock Throws as you can, even if they miss, just get as close as you can!"

"Get moving, Azura! Don't let it pick you out!"

As Onix began tossing huge rocks every which way, Azura zig-zagged back and forth across its field of vision. The big Pokémon couldn't keep up, and attack after attack missed the nimble Umbreon. Milo could see Onix's strength was at long last beginning to give out, so after one particularly large boulder thudded safely behind Azura, Milo called out, "Now, another Dark Pulse!"

A massive crunch reverberated throughout the stadium as the giant Rock Snake hit the ground. It wasn't getting back up.

 _Two down_ , thought Milo, _but he's got one more fresh, and both of my Pokémon are already worn out. What does Roark have up his sleeve? If I know Gym Leaders, he's got some kind of ace in the hole up last…_

Sure enough, as the referee declared Azura the winner, Roark gave a sly grin, and said, "Well done, Milo, I was impressed by your patience in dealing with Onix and your foresight to switch out, despite the unfavorable matchup. But I think this next one will be too much for you. Not all Rock types have speed issues, you know. Cranidos, show him how we roll!"

 _Cranidos? Of course he has a Cranidos. The one thing I really would've needed a fresh Blaze for… Azura probably won't be able to keep up, and Blaze has had at least a bit of rest. I'm going to have to switch._

"Alright, good job Azura, return now. Go, Blaze! I need everything you've got, pal!"

As Azura trotted wearily back to her Trainer, Blaze reappeared, still visibly tired from his last battle, but no less ready to go.

"Pursuit, Cranidos!"

Just like Azura always did, Cranidos disappeared, and Milo had to act fast;

"UP!"

Blaze jumped as hard as he could, and was only just in time. Cranidos showed up and slashed inches under the small fire monkey's feet.

"Good, Milo, but you're stuck up there! Cranidos, Headbutt!"

 _Shoot! He's right, Blaze has nowhere to go!_

His memory sparked into life, and he recalled this situation from his battle with Cynthia. Just like that he had a plan.

"Blaze, you're gonna get hit, but Focus Punch him on your way down!"

As Blaze fell he complied perfectly, aiming an impressive Focus Punch straight down at his oncoming opponent. As both Pokémon got up, Cranidos was obviously feeling the effects, but Milo was worried about Blaze. That Headbutt had been strong, and he still carried the damage from his earlier bout with Geodude. Milo knew he couldn't let Cranidos land solid hits like that, or Blaze would go down fast.

"Alright, close the gap, Blaze, get in some rapid fire Focus Punches!"

"Cranidos, move! Get out of its way!"

"Chase him down, Blaze, try and corner it!"

He could see Blaze gritting his teeth with exertion, but the young Chimchar pushed himself heroically and actually managed to trap the evasive Rock Pokémon. Cranidos did its best to dodge, but at such close range, Blaze landed two or three solid hits before Roark was able to salvage the situation.

"Cranidos, shove it off and Rock Throw!"

Milo gasped as Cranidos shoved Blaze away and bought itself just enough space and time to launch a big rock at Blaze, who was completely defenseless.

"Blaze! Come on, buddy I know you can do it! Are you still with me?"

"CHIM…CHAAAARRR!"

As he threw the rock aside, Blaze was covered in white light that blinded the onlookers. When it subsided Blaze had evolved, to Milo's delight. A Monferno stood ready for its next command.

"Ferrrrrno!"

"Yes! Blaze, this is awesome! Let's finish this!"

Roark was stunned, but not for long; "What? No way! I don't believe that! Well, Cranidos, we can still take it down. Let's get back into it! Rock Throw!"

"Dodge, Blaze. I want to see all your new speed!"

Milo knew that Monferno was naturally faster than Chimchar, but he was still shocked to see the way Blaze dodged the barrage of Rock Throws that came at him. He made Cranidos look slower than Onix, so effortless and precise was his movement.

"That's amazing, Blaze! Now show me a Focus Punch!"

But Blaze the Monferno had another new trick up his sleeve. Instead of Focus Punch, he dashed at the outclassed Cranidos and swung a glowing arm over his head, smashing Cranidos into the ground. The battle was won.

"Was that…Brick Break? You learned Brick Break? Blaze, that's so cool! We won!"

The referee made it official, "Cranidos is unable to battle, which means Monferno is the winner! The match goes to Milo, the challenger!"

Blaze ran over to his Trainer, and Milo wrapped his newly evolved starter in an exuberant embrace. He could hear the crowd of Rock-type students buzzing with wonder. Nobody could even remember the last time Roark's Gym team had been bested.

"That was incredible", said Roark, crossing the field to congratulate Milo, "I haven't been pushed like that in a very long time. I must confess that I had some forewarning about you, Professor Rowan called and told me to make sure I didn't go easy on you. I wasn't going to tell you, because I didn't think you'd be able to push me that far, but… He was right; your battle strategy is something else. Do you mind if I upload that battle to the BattleNet? The rest of Sinnoh will want to see what you just did."

"I…sure, go ahead. I promised Professor Rowan I'd say yes, when I first started."

Roark laughed at the coincidence, "How about that? He's had a hand in both sides of that battle! That Rowan sure knows how to pick talent in new Trainers, who knows how he does it. Oh, by the way", Roark took a step closer to say something confidential so that only Milo would hear, "I'd like to see you later this evening about something important. I'll tell you more if you come here to the Gym at 8:30 tonight. I wouldn't ask if it wasn't crucial. Alright?"

Milo nodded silently. What could be so important that a Gym Leader would ask for a private meeting? Roark stepped back and resumed his cheery smile. Shaking Milo's hand, he took a case from the referee and presented it to Milo, saying in a loud voice for the room to hear,

"Milo, as per the official Sinnoh League regulations I present to you this Coal Badge as proof of your victory here in Oreburgh! Congratulations!"

Taking the glittering badge in hand, Milo fastened it reverently to the allotted space inside his Pokédex, and said, "Thanks! That really was a great battle; if Blaze hadn't evolved I think you'd have won."

"Who knows", responded Roark with a shrug, "now I believe there was another challenger? Where is the other Trainer?"

Glancing around the audience until he found Amaya sitting back nonchalantly, her feet up on the seat in front of her, he beckoned her down.

She stood and made her way to the arena floor. Roark introduced himself (unnecessarily) and as his students began to leave the stands, he explained, "Since your friend Milo wiped my Gym team out, you'll have to give me about a half an hour to heal them up and let them prepare for another battle. Will that be alright?"

"Sure", came the curt answer, "I'll just go with Milo to the Center. See you in a bit, Roark."

With that she turned and walked away, as unreadable as ever. Milo followed her out and they walked back to the Pokémon Center to get Milo's team back in good health.

"So", began Amaya as they waited, "that was pretty cool. Blaze evolved."

"I know!" Milo was still ecstatic, but tried to rein himself in a bit, "I mean, yeah, that was cool. I don't think I'd have won without him. We'll have time after your battle, I want to go train in the old mine south of town. I know I got the badge, but I relied too much on Azura's extra power and Blaze evolving. I cut it way too close and got lucky."

"That's a good plan. I'll come along. More training never hurts."

"Milo", called Nurse Joy from behind the counter, "your team is ready! They're in perfect condition! Thanks for waiting!"

Azura bounded off the counter to rub contentedly against Milo's leg, while Blaze struck a very proud pose, still very thrilled about his new form.

"Yes, yes, you look very dashing, Blaze", Milo poked the Playful Pokémon, "but come on, we gotta get back to the Gym to watch Amaya's fight. You want in or out?"

Both of them vigorously shook their heads; they would always prefer to be outside their Pokéballs. As the group returned to the Gym, a small crowd of people from the town followed them in, having heard that another Gym challenge was coming. Milo found a front row seat as Amaya stood herself in the same Trainer box he had used earlier. Roark was waiting, the same bright expression on his face as he waited for the referee.

"This is an official match between Roark the Gym Leader of Oreburgh and Amaya the challenger. Both sides will use a maximum of three Pokémon, and the Trainer who knocks out the other's Pokémon first will win! Only the challenger may substitute. This battle will be recorded for possible Sinnoh League purposes. Questions?"

"Nope", Amaya's face was set like steel, "Let's go."

Milo thought she cut a strange figure, standing there with her arms folded. Roark, the home town Gym Leader, had a big presence about him, but Amaya just stood there, a small girl who looked even smaller from up in the stands. And yet, she looked so unperturbed by all the emotion and intensity swirling around her. She had her own little bubble of focus and betrayed no outward sign of…well, anything. If she felt excited, nervous, scared, or confident, none of it showed in the slightest. The only thing Milo could tell from looking at her was that she was dead set on this battle and right now, nothing else mattered. Roark kicked the proceedings off in much the same way as he had against Milo.

"Geodude, time to rock!"

"Terrus."

The Tiny Turtle wasn't intimidated at all by his opponent. Amaya wasted no time taking advantage of the type mismatch between the two.

"Razor Leaf."

Roark was no slouch, and had faced his share of Grass-type moves. Soon the commands were flying thick and fast.

"Rock Throw, Geodude, block those leaves!"

"Body Slam the rock."

To Milo's surprise, Terrus didn't even think twice. He threw himself headlong at the boulder, turning his shell towards the impact at the last second. It worked like a charm, somehow. The rock burst to smithereens, and Terrus was unharmed, having closed the gap between himself and Geodude.

"Razor Leaf again."

This time Geodude took the attack full on and was battered heavily by the super effective hit.

"Get up Geodude! Give them the Stealth Rock!"

"Don't let it happen. Bite."

The Bite didn't do much damage, but Geodude was prevented from triggering Stealth Rock, and Amaya had something else, too.

"Absorb while you're holding on."

Both Pokémon glowed light green and Geodude was already visibly tired.

"Smack it away and Rock Throw!"

"Tackle."

This time, Amaya's relentless attacking was finally interrupted. Terrus tried to get back in with a Tackle, but took Geodude's next Rock Throw to the face, and got up with difficulty.

"Dang. Absorb, Terrus."

"Dodge, Geodude!"

Geodude wasn't fast enough, and Terrus recovered some of his health while Geodude was definitely on its last legs (metaphorically, of course, as Geodude have no legs).

"Razor Leaf."

It was that simple. An already exhausted Geodude crumpled under the powerful onslaught of leaves from Amaya's starter.

"Wow, Amaya. You are definitely different from Milo, stylistically speaking. But I wonder how you'll deal with this one. He'll take a bit more beating! Onix!"

Amaya and Terrus both stared coldly at the Rock Snake Pokémon as it appeared with a mighty roar. Amaya was already going.

"Grass Knot."

"Swat that and Headbutt, Onix."

Milo saw Amaya's eyes widen just a bit as Onix swung its tail at Terrus' Grass Knot, taking the hit without falling down as its top half was already shooting forwards in a massive Headbutt that struck Terrus and knocked him forcefully into the wall behind his Trainer.

"Terrus, you good?"

"Twig-ig!"

Terrus was clearly not doing so hot, but was determined to battle until the end. Amaya's strategy had been almost perfect, but she didn't account for Onix's size. It was big enough to counterattack and strong enough to withstand the super effective grass damage.

"Absorb, Terrus."

"No you don't! Rock Throw, a big one!"

In the midst of his Absorb, Terrus couldn't react fast enough to the boulder that sent him back into the same wall he'd just climbed out of. This time it was over, the little turtle was unconscious.

"Hmm. Return, Terrus. You did great. We'll get stronger."

"One down each", called Roark, "I'm feeling good about this! What's up next, Amaya?"

A flicker of a smirk crossed the girl's face as she tossed out her next Pokéball.

"Coral's next."

Roark's face went from confidence to concern in a flash.

"Whoa…wasn't expecting a Milotic. But hey, let's do it. Come on Onix, let's see what that thing's made of! Rock Throw again!"

"Ice Beam."

 _Wow. An Ice Beam to start_ , thought Milo as Onix recoiled from the powerful attack, _she's really going all out here._

 _Yep. Think we could beat her?_

Milo winked down at Azura, _We already did._

Azura smiled back, remembering her well-earned victory over Coral, before both Trainer and Pokémon turned back to the battle unfolding before them…to find that Onix was down. Amaya had called a Hydro Pump and that, combined with the Ice Beam, had been too much for an unprepared Onix.

Roark looked rather shell-shocked at the raw power before him, and was a bit subdued as he called out his final Pokémon.

"Cranidos. Let's do our best here."

"Dragon Tail."

"Pursuit, Cranidos!"

Amaya wasn't waiting around, but Cranidos had speed. The Dragon Tail missed, and Coral was slammed forward by Cranidos' Pursuit from behind.

"Turn and Water Pulse."

Cranidos tried to dodge again, but couldn't compensate for Water Pulse's wide range, and took heavy damage.

"Get back in there, Cranidos! Use Headbutt to get in close again!"

Milo could see Roark's strategy, but it was flawed. Coral had many dangerous ranged attacks, but she was also deadly from close range. He found this out to his dismay as Amaya ordered another Dragon Tail.

"Smack that thing away, Coral."

The whole wall shook as the unfortunate Cranidos collided with it, just barely able to peel itself off and remain standing.

"Ice Beam."

Cranidos, the pride of Roark's Gym team, had been comprehensively thrashed. Coral had barely sustained a scratch.

"Cranidos is unable to battle, so Milotic is the winner, and the match goes to Amaya the challenger!"

"Wow", said Roark, as he crossed the field to congratulate Amaya, "that was kind of embarrassing for me. My second Gym loss today, and you really wrecked my team."

"I focus on power when I battle. Hit hard enough, and anyone falls over."

Milo and his two Pokémon climbed down to congratulate their friend as she accepted her Coal Badge. As they approached, Roark commented, "I'll say this about you two. You'll both go far in this League. I haven't seen anything like you two in a _long_ time. Milo outthought me and outran me, and Amaya overpowered me. Can I post your battle to the Net, Amaya?"

"Sure."

"Right. Well, I suppose that wraps things up here. I'm going to head back and heal my team up. See you soon, yes?"

He cast an extra glance at Milo, reminding him silently of their arranged meeting later.

As the pair left the Gym into the early afternoon sun, Amaya asked simply, "So, I'm going to heal up, then should we go to the mine?"

"Sounds like a plan to me", affirmed Milo, "I'm looking forward to testing out Blaze's new moves and power against some more Rock types."

Within half an hour, they were standing at the entrance to the old mine. A decade ago, it had been full of miners all the way down, but as time went on the top levels had very little coal left, and so all the mining took place much lower down, while the upper sections were dedicated Pokémon training spaces.

"Ugh", Amaya crossed her arms as she stared into the dark cave mouth, "I still don't like caves. But I guess it's worth it for training."

"That's the spirit", Milo clapped her shoulder jovially as he entered, "now come on, time's wasting!"

Predictably, Amaya got straight to work hitting everything she could find as hard as she could hit it. Milo primarily used Blaze, at least until he got used to Blaze's new speed and strength. To his delight, he found that Blaze had a plethora of new moves. He could now use Fire Punch, Brick Break, and Blaze Kick. Milo quickly decided that he would soon take the opportunity to add a couple more Fighting type moves to Blaze's repertoire. After about an hour and a half of training, Milo had Azura out to battle a wild Machop that had come to challenge them when he heard Amaya exclaim, "Ha! Come here, you!"

"Azura, Dark Pulse!"

Once the Machop was down, Milo went to find out what Amaya was up to. Rounding a corner, he found Coral facing down a massive Onix that looked partially frozen and _very_ upset.

"I'm guessing it isn't a fan of your Ice Beam?"

"Oh hey, Milo. Check this thing out, it took an Ice Beam to the tail and it's still got plenty of fight! Even Coral has taken some hits from it! Now", she turned back to her Pokémon, "Dragon Tail!"

The wild Onix managed to meet Coral's Dragon Tail with an Iron Tail, forcing both of them backwards. Coral was panting now, and glaring darkly at this ferocious opponent. Milo noticed a glint in Amaya's eyes and asked cautiously,

"Uh, what are you thinking?"

"I'm thinking I like this thing's fighting spirit."

Pulling a Great Ball out of her bag, Amaya called out, "Alright, you! I'm going to make you even stronger!" She threw the ball and it sucked in the weakened Onix.

Once the Great ball wiggled. Twice. Thrice. A brief silence, and then a soft ping.

"YES!" Amaya was overjoyed. I got it! I've got an Onix! Come on out now!

With a flash, the Onix reappeared. It roared loudly before staring intensely down at Amaya. They locked eyes and she glared fiercely up at her new Pokémon. After a few seconds, it bowed its head in respectful deference to her authority and audacity.

 _Wow_ , commented Azura in Milo's mind, _that was impressive. Onix are very proud of their strength. That Onix has a lot of respect for her to submit like that. I think they'll get along well._

"I'll call you Granite. Sound good?"

Granite roared his approval, and with a nod and a smile, Amaya returned him to his new Pokéball.

"What do you say, Milo? Time for a break?"

Milo agreed, and the whole party left the mine to eat lunch and heal up at the Pokémon Center.

"Back again, you two?"

Nurse Joy smiled warmly, and asked politely as she took their Pokémon to heal, "How was training? I see you have a new team member."

"Yes", answered Amaya immediately, "that's Granite, an Onix I just caught down there!"

"Really?" Nurse Joy raised her eyebrows, evidently surprised to hear this, "few people manage to catch those Onix. The ones in our mine are rarely seen and are notoriously strong, not to mention dangerous. The only other one I know of from that mine is the Onix that Roark uses on his Gym team."

This did nothing to deflate Amaya's rapidly growing sense of pride, and she would discuss nothing else as the team sat down for a light lunch. She reminisced her battle against Granite at least five times before she began to wonder aloud which moves she would teach him, when he might evolve to Steelix, how powerful he could realistically become, etc.

"Alright", Milo interrupted her finally, "that's all really great, but we have our Pokémon back, so I'm going back for more training. Are you coming? It might be good to try battling with Granite a bit."

"Yeah", she was only too eager to join, "Let's go!"

Nothing else of terrible importance happened the rest of the afternoon. Milo, Blaze and Azura battled dozens of wild Pokémon, and Milo took the opportunity to work on transitioning between ranged fighting and close quarters combat. He also made sure to work on his team's agility and speed, as he always did. Blaze was now faster than Azura by far, but both of them were much quicker than anyone would have expected. Fighting against Rock types also helped Milo's team improve their endurance and ability to take hits.

Amaya spent most of her time using Granite to destroy anything in her path, which the newly caught Onix was absolutely thrilled about. Azura's prediction had been spot on, they got along perfectly.

When both Trainers and Pokémon were at last exhausted, they returned to the Pokémon Center (yet again) to wash up and find dinner. Before he knew it, Milo's watch read 8:15pm.

"Oh, shoot! I'm supposed to meet Roark in fifteen minutes!"

Amaya sat up from her favorite lounging spot; the couch in Milo's room. Taking off her big black headphones she asked, "What'd you say? Roark? What do you have to meet Roark about?"

"I don't know, he didn't say, but it must be important if he asked privately, you know?"

"Huh. That's weird. Well", she laid back down, replaced her headphones, and closed her eyes, "let me know how it goes. I'll be here."

"See you."

Milo beckoned Azura to follow him and they walked through a quiet Oreburgh evening to the Gym. Roark met them outside the front doors,

"Ah, Milo, there you are. Come on in."

He led the young man into the Gym lobby, where Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy were waiting, with the Lucario Egg he had rescued from Annie and Oakley the previous day.

"Hey", Milo broke into a smile, "that's the Egg! Is it okay? What's going to happen to it?"

"That's what we wanted to talk to you about", began Officer Jenny, "As you know, the Lucario who made this Egg are, sadly, deceased. This Egg can't be simply released back into the wild, but Oreburgh doesn't have proper care facilities for it. It will need constant care and Nurse Joy is understaffed as is."

Milo's face fell. "Surely, someone can look after it, right? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Actually yes", Roark spoke up, "there was an emergency City Council meeting last night, and they heard the whole story from Officer Jenny. They were very impressed by your heroic actions, Milo."

 _See?_ Azura spoke gently to him, _I told you that what you did was amazing. They thought so, too._

"I wasn't there personally", continued the Gym Leader, "but it was decided that we would offer the Egg to you for care and safekeeping pending my approval. After your challenge today, seeing the way you were able to connect so intuitively with your Pokémon, I approve wholeheartedly. Will you accept this Egg?"

Milo was flabbergasted. He hadn't expected this in the slightest. They wanted _him_ to take their town's precious Lucario Egg?

 _You should take it_ , Azura commented, _I know you'd take good care of that baby. I trust you and they trust you. Milo, take it._

"I…I don't know what to say…", the young man was still stunned, "I didn't think – I mean, yes. Yes, I'll take the Egg. I'll take care of it to the very best of my ability and raise the Pokémon that hatches from it as well as I can. Thank you, thank you so much! Wow, this is so amazing, what a special opportunity!"

The three adults all thanked and congratulated him profusely, and as Milo walked back to his room holding the wondrous Egg lovingly, he could only wonder at this marvelous turn of events. He, Milo, had been entrusted with a Pokémon Egg. What a day it had been.

-o-

Half a region away, a phone rang. Its owner barely got to it in time.

"Hello, Gardenia speaking. Oh, Cynthia! Hello!"

"Hi there! How's everything in Eterna?"

"Oh, fine, fine. I'm hearing rumors of troublemakers down in Floaroma, though. But I'm guessing you didn't call for chit-chat?"

"No. Have you checked the BattleNet? Did you watch those battles from Oreburgh?"

Gardenia grinned; she wasn't surprised that Cynthia would be so enthused.

"Yeah, I think everyone's seen them by now. They both flattened Roark completely. It wasn't just that, though, it was the _way_ they did it."

"Which do you think has more potential?"

"Why are you asking me? You're the Champion, and the expert on teaching new Trainers. What do you think?"

"Well…it's tough to say. All in all, Amaya is stronger, but I think Milo is a better strategist."

Gardenia tilted her head in confusion, "I'm surprised you think so. They're both great, but Amaya absolutely decimated Roark. She didn't even look like she broke a sweat. What makes you think Milo is better?"

"At face value, yes, her win was more convincing. But she had two naturally super effective Pokémon against Rock types. Plus, she still lost one. Milo had a Fire type and a Dark type against three Rocks, and he lost none. If you watch carefully, Milo's ability to adapt and transition is incredibly natural and smooth. He didn't just beat Roark down like Amaya did; he completely outclassed and outsmarted him. I'm telling you, Gardenia, they'll both be incredibly strong, but that Milo is a class apart."

Gardenia smile at her friend's analysis, "I can't remember the last time I saw you this excited about someone this new."

"Well", Cynthia replied, "do you think your Gym team can prove me wrong?"

"I know we'll try. But…I see what you mean, too. I think I'm going to give Maylene a call and make sure she's seen what's coming."

As she hung up the phone, Gardenia smiled to herself, allowing some measure of pre-battle excitement to infect her. How long had it been since being a Gym Leader had made her feel so _alive_? She couldn't wait for these two young wonder Trainers.

She watched the view count on the Oreburgh videos skyrocket before her eyes and thought to herself,

 _These kids are starting to make waves. Just how far can they ride them?_

 **Chapter 6 Thoughts: There's the first Gym battle! I did my best to write two entertaining battles that highlighted the differences between Milo and Amaya, so hopefully that came through properly. I would love to hear your thoughts (pretty please)! I obviously don't own Pokémon, just my OC's.**

 **If you like it, keep reading, and feel free to follow/favorite. That way you can keep up to date with Milo and other people will be more likely to find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!**


	7. Chapter 7 - Shadows and Balance

Milo Chapter 7 – Shadows and Balance

"So, what, they just _gave_ it to you? You just get to keep that Egg?"

Milo had just finished relating to Amaya the events of his meeting with Roark, Jenny, and Joy. He looked down at the precious Egg in his lap, still hardly able to believe it himself, and answered,

"Yeah, pretty much. I just…wow. This thing is going to hatch into a little baby Pokémon. That just seems so crazy, you know? I'm going to get to take care of it…"

Amaya snorted, "Well, yeah Milo, that's typically how Eggs work."

"I know, I know, but…it's just crazy to think about."

"Hmm. Fair enough. It will be cool to watch the whole process, I'll admit."

Blaze and Azura were seated on either side of their Trainer. Azura had huddled herself as close to the Egg as she could, and Blaze was holding his fiery tail in front of it, to ensure it remained warm.

Amaya stretched herself out on Milo's couch and wondered aloud,

"So from here we head towards Eterna from the next badge, right? It'll take longer to get there than it did to get here from Jubilife."

"Yeah. Actually, though, I was thinking about staying here a few days, though. I mean, the mine is a great spot for training and I want to ask Nurse Joy to show me how to care for the Egg before I leave. What do you think?"

He could see her turning the prospect over in her mind for a minute before shrugging and saying, "Sure. Sounds good to me. I can always use more training time, and I'd hate to see that Egg struggle. How long are you planning to stay?"

"Probably just a few days. Long enough to teach Blaze a couple new fighting moves and learn enough from Nurse Joy to feel more confident about the Egg."

Amaya stood up off the couch, brushed off her baggy hoody, and said, "Alright. I'm down for a few extra days in Oreburgh, we're in no rush. I'm going to head to my room now, though. I'm getting a bit tired. Night, Milo, see you for breakfast."

"Good night."

As the door closed, Milo and his Pokémon stared silently, glowingly, at the fragile Egg. Eventually, they set it on the floor between Azura and Blaze while Milo settled into his bed. Even then, though, the image of it, the memory of how it felt in his arms, kept his mind buzzing for hours until sleep finally overtook him.

Perhaps this was the reason he didn't wake up the next morning until Azura jumped on him.

 _Wake up, Milo. Come on! It's breakfast time_.

"Ugh…yeah…Getting up…"

Drearily, he hauled himself out of bed. Blaze greeted him cheerfully from his position on the floor, his body wrapped around the Egg.

"Feeling protective, pal? It's not going anywhere."

 _We thought he would be the best one to keep it warm_ , Azura explained.

"Good thought, guys, but I think it'll survive. We'll wrap it in some blankets, just in case, alright? Now let's go eat."

After taking a few minutes to get ready, Milo and his team shuffled down the hallway to find Amaya already in the cafeteria eating.

"There you are, finally", she said with her typical attitude.

"Good morning, Milo!"

Nurse Joy greeted him as she walked up to their table. She sat down across from him, and began, "Amaya told me you want to learn more about caring for that Egg before you leave, which I fully agree with. I think you've made an admirable decision. I don't have a lot of spare time; as you know, I'm fairly understaffed here. However, I'm definitely willing to give you as much help and advice as I can over the next few days. Can you meet me over lunch?"

"Sure", he shrugged, "I don't have much else to plan around. Any time that works for you is fine by me."

"Perfect", the ever-cheerful Joy got up and was on her way in a flash, "See you this afternoon for lunch, then! Goodbye for now, I have to get back to work!"

When the group had finished eating, they put away their dishes and headed out for the cave to train until Milo's lunch appointment with Nurse Joy. Amaya resumed the elegant process of smashing her opponents aside with ruthless force while Milo went to a nearby area and released his Pokémon,

"Alright, guys, here's the plan. Azura, I'd like you to work on speed. You've been making really good progress and I want to keep it going. Blaze, you're going to work with me on Mach Punch and Low Kick. I think expanding your fighting repertoire will help us adapt when we cross someone like Roark who is resistant to your fire moves."

Without further ado, Milo and his team fell enthusiastically to their work. The young Trainer was pleased to find that in training alongside his Pokémon, he himself was quickly improving his mental sharpness and alertness as well as his physical shape.

By the time they stopped for lunch, they had all worked up a sweat, but he felt readier than ever to get after it. He'd taken a battering from Blaze's new fighting moves, but he was more than happy to be pummeled if it meant Blaze got faster and stronger.

Nurse Joy greeted the young man when he got back to the Pokémon Center and immediately took him to a back room, where she'd arranged a small presentation with tips on Egg care for beginners.

"Alright, Milo, we'll start with this today, and in a couple days, you'll be ready for the more advanced nuances of Egg care. I'm going to need you to pay close attention because the crash course I'll be giving you is meant to take almost a month, and I plan to get through it in a week or less. Okay?"

Flushed with anticipation, Milo was eager to begin, "Yes, absolutely. I'll be writing everything down, too, so I can refer back to it after I leave."

Joy smiled at her enthusiastic new student, "Good, I'm glad to see you taking this seriously. Let's start with temperature…"

For a solid hour, Milo was bombarded with a myriad of facts, tips, and instructions from the knowledgeable Joy. Afterwards, he returned with his team to the old mine for afternoon training. Keeping himself constantly busy, Milo found that the day flew by, and the next day did the same, in much the same fashion.

On the third day after his Gym battle, something - or rather, someone - interrupted Milo's new daily rhythm as he was getting into afternoon training.

"Okay, Blaze, again. Make sure that Low Kick isn't too predictable. Remember to build plenty of momentum before launching that slide, otherwise they'll see it coming and jump over. Alright-"

"Shadow Ball!"

Instinct took over as Milo screamed "DOWN!"

Blaze obeyed unquestioningly, hitting the deck in the blink of an eye as a massive Shadow Ball attack flew mere inches over the alert Monferno's head.

"Flame Wheel!"

"Ferrrrrnoo!"

Blaze charged forward fearlessly to close the distance between himself and the mystery attacker, when Milo heard a familiar voice call, "Whoa, whoa, whoa! Okay, joke over!"

Recognizing immediately what had happened, Milo called off the attack, "Stop, Blaze, stop, it's alright!"

Warm laughter came from the surprise attacker and Milo jumped out to greet the newcomer;

"Marcus!" Milo berated his brother with a joking smile, "What the heck, man! You could've really wrecked Blaze there! What are you doing here, anyway? And hey, Absol's here! Haven't seen you in a long time, pal!"

After greeting the grateful Disaster Pokémon, the young Trainer shared a firm embrace with his older sibling, who chuckled again as he responded,

"Hey little bro, how goes it? I'd hoped I would find you still in Oreburgh, I was afraid you'd left for Eterna already!"

"Nah, I'm gonna be here in Oreburgh for a while yet. This is a good spot for training, plus I'm taking an Egg care crash course with Nurse Joy."

Marcus was dressed as he usually was, with a tight fit, long sleeved black button up shirt, untucked at the bottom, over snug brick red long pants and black shoes. His dark hair swooped neatly across his face, completing his understated sharp look which highlighted his athletic physique. The first-ever Dark type specialist Gym Leader stuck his hands in his pockets and asked,

"Egg care? Did you find an Egg somewhere? Gotta be careful man, there's a bunch of regulations about that kind of thing."

"Breee!"

A Dark Pulse burst down the rocky passage as Azura bolted around the corner, having heard the noise of the earlier surprise attack.

"Sol!"

Absol jumped to defend, as Azura screamed into Milo's mind,

 _Duck! I'm throwing a Shadow Ball!_

 _NO! Wait, Azura, stop! It's my brother!_

Azura stopped immediately and looked again, before recognizing Marcus from her first day with Milo, when they left the JPTA. Realizing what had happened, she bowed her head sheepishly, but Marcus was quick to forgive,

"Hey, it's all good, Azura. I like your protective instinct, at least, and that Dark Pulse is coming along nicely. I'm already looking forward to seeing you at the Hearthome Gym."

"So why are you actually here, Marcus?"

Milo was, of course, happy to see his older brother, but the visit didn't have any obvious purpose.

"Let's head topside and I'll tell you."

Milo found Amaya, who was training one floor above him, and tried to introduce her to his brother.

"Amaya! Hey, Amaya! Amaya?"

She was completely engrossed in her training, as Coral and Granite worked on their most powerful attacks, landing them as accurately and consistently as possible. The small but intense girl watched carefully, with her signature black headphones clamped tightly over her ears. Milo had to go up and put a hand on her shoulder, which made her jump and let out a small scream, before realizing,

"AAAHH – oh, it's you. Dang it, Milo, what the heck? Don't do that. Who's this?"

"Well, you couldn't hear us, I didn't have much choice. This is my brother Marcus. He's the-"

"Gym Leader of Hearthome, right? I thought I recognized him. Milo, you never told me your brother was a Gym Leader, though!"

Milo embarrassedly put his hands in his pockets, "Yup. Well now you know. We're going up to talk, want to come?"

"Sure."

Amaya returned her Pokémon and followed the brothers to the surface. As they emerged into the afternoon sunlight they blinked a few times to readjust their eyes and began meandering back towards a local café.

Azura and Blaze decided they were exhausted and would rather go back and rest at the Pokémon Center. Milo knew it was also because they wanted to go care for the Egg.

"So, Marcus, what's up?" Milo was curious, "What brings you to Oreburgh?"

As their coffee was brought to them, Marcus smiled and explained, "Mostly I just came to congratulate you. These days, not many people get very far into an actual Gym challenge. I saw the video of both of your battles; I have to say I was very impressed."

"Thanks", answered Amaya, "that's cool to hear from a Leader."

Milo was a little tongue-tied. He absolutely adored his older brother; he'd grown up in Jubilife hearing the stories of his brother's victories as he rose through the ranks to prominence as a Dark-type specialist. It was still more shocking when the news dropped that Marcus, the young battling phenomenon, had been elevated so soon to the position of Gym Leader. As a Leader, Marcus had more autonomy and had visited his younger brother at the JPTA more frequently than the rest of Milo's family. For young Milo, Marcus' visits were pure gold. He was almost walking on air every time his brother, the Gym Leader, would show up just to hang out with _him_. Now, hearing Marcus' congratulating him on a well-fought battle, the same boyish pride swelled in his chest.

"I was interested to see your style, Milo", commented the Dark-type specialist, "not many people have the confidence to rely on speed these days. To pull that off you have to really trust that your Pokémon have enough in the tank, you have to know them extremely well, and you did it perfectly."

"Honestly", replied Milo, "I based it a little bit off of some of your battles with Absol."

"Is that so? Well, I'm honored. I wanted to give you guys a warning, too."

The two Trainers looked quizzically at one another before Milo asked the obvious question, "A warning? What kind of warning?"

"When you make the kind of noise that you two did with your victories over Roark, a lot of people notice; people with a lot of influence. For one, you can bet all the Gym Leaders have watched and analyzed those videos, so they'll be ready for you. You may also find that the further you go into your Gym challenge, the more trouble you have finding privacy. I'd think you'll be fine on the road, but if you keep this up, media and reporters will be all over you whenever you enter a major city."

"Seriously?" Milo was rather concerned, "I know Gym challengers are rare, but do you really think we'll have that much trouble?"

"I've already been interviewed twice about your battle. People apparently want to know what I think of my little brother taking the Gym challenge, how far I think you'll get, etc."

Marcus had explained very nonchalantly, but he looked directly at Milo as he did.

"Wait", asked the younger of the two brothers, "are you serious? Dang… I didn't think people would make such a big deal out of it. I mean, we've only got one badge, what's the fuss about?"

"Well, you're the first ones this year to declare some intent to take on the Gyms; naturally the media would get excited. You're giving them work. Plus, they've seen the videos. They know as well as we Leaders do that it's not just the fact that you beat Roark, but how you did it that's a big deal. You absolutely took him to school, both of you."

"I…I just didn't think that…"

Marcus smiled understandingly. His brother was a naturally talented battler, but had a lot to learn about dealing with public scrutiny.

"Hey, don't worry too much. The major media players will probably wait until you have a few more badges, to make sure you're the real deal. So you'll have time to adjust before they really come after you."

"Thanks, I guess…"

Milo's eyes were downcast, but Amaya seemed unaffected,

"That's kind of cool. People all over Sinnoh will see what we can do. I'm alright with that."

They talked a while longer, and as afternoon faded towards dusk, they stood, paid, and left the café. As they did, Marcus put a hand on his brother's shoulder and said,

"Hey, Milo, there's something else I wanted to-"

CRASH!

Piercing alarms exploded from the direction of the Pokémon Center, where the loud crash had come from, and Azura's voice rang loud and panicked in Milo's brain,

 _MILO, THE EGG! THEY'RE BACK!_

Without hesitating, Milo took off sprinting, hours of training falling from his shoulders as adrenaline ran like fire through his whole body;

"The poachers are back, they're going after the Egg!"

Immediately, Marcus and Amaya took off behind him. Amaya couldn't really keep up, but Marcus ran lightly next to his brother, his brain whirring as he thought five steps ahead like only an experienced Leader could;

"I've got Absol and Houndoom with me; they should help if we're dealing with the same Espeon and Ariados."

Within a minute the two brothers arrived, just in time to see a scratched and bruised Blaze bravely hurl both his body and a Flame Wheel at a very angry-looking Espeon. Both of Milo's Pokémon were covered in small wounds and bits of spider string, and Azura was having trouble keeping the Ariados at bay. They were just barely managing to keep their opponents from the Egg, which for now lay safely behind the line of fierce defense Milo's team was holding.

"Absol, Houndoom, get in there!"

Both of Marcus' Pokémon appeared with ferocious roars, sending the two enemies scuttling backwards in momentary fear and confusion.

"Houndoom, chase them out, Fire Fang! Absol, use Pursuit, clear them out right now!"

"Azura, give us one more Dark Pulse, I know you can! Blaze, give them a Blaze Kick to force them back out the way they came!"

The unexpected reinforcements, combined with the retaliatory onslaught, served to scatter Espeon and Ariados immediately. Espeon crashed into the wall from the impact of Absol's Pursuit, and Ariados was putting out flames and burns on its body as it climbed frantically out the window. Espeon recovered swiftly and jumped out after it, and Team Rocket's Pokémon were gone as quickly as they had come.

Breathing heavily, Milo and Marcus looked at each other and then at the Egg, which still sat safely in Milo's pile of clothes. Then they broke into big smiles,

"We did it! Thanks, Marcus!"

They high-fived, and even the cool, collected Marcus was pleased with their success,

"Heh, yeah, we did it."

Blaze and Azura made their way through the wreckage of the room to their Trainer, and Milo wrapped them both in a huge embrace,

"You guys saved our little teammate; you did such a good job. I'm so proud of you."

Around this time, Officer Jenny and Nurse Joy came bursting through the door. Milo realized it had only been a few minutes since the alarms first went off. The two women must have come as fast as they could, but he and Marcus had already dealt with the intruders.

It took another couple hours for the hubbub to subside. The police, Nurse Joy, and local news all wanted a thorough explanation of what had happened and why, incident reports had to be filed, etc. Amidst the commotion, Marcus took a second to whisper in his brother's ear,

"Hey, Milo, I want to talk to you when this finally wraps up, alright?"

"Okay. What about?"

"…You'll see."

It was past dinner when peace and quiet was at last restored. Milo had been given a new room for the remainder of his stay in Oreburgh, and had almost instantly become a minor celebrity, as stories of his 'heroic actions' hit the local news broadcasts.

"Let's go for a walk, bro."

Marcus stood up from the couch in Milo's new room and motioned towards the door.

"Yeah, alright. Give me a sec…"

Milo finished tying his shoes and stepped out with his older brother into the cool nighttime breeze.

"So", Marcus wasted no time getting to the point of this conversation, "I have another reason for being here. Something I couldn't really talk to you about in front of Amaya."

Milo's brain was immediately racing, "Wait, what? It's not mom or dad, is it? Is something wrong?"

"Nothing like that, Milo, it's a good thing. I'm here in part because I've been sent to recruit you."

"Recruit me? To what?"

"I am part of a secret organization, Milo" As the young Trainer's mouth flew open to ask the first of many questions, his brother put up a hand to preempt him, "I know that sounds sketchy, so let me explain; this isn't any kind of criminal organization, just the opposite. We work from behind the scenes to preserve society as it is, protect it from those who would otherwise manipulate it. We maintain balance between control and chaos."

"So, you're like vigilantes?"

Marcus chuckled as he ran a hand through his hair, "Umm, not exactly. It's tricky to explain. We're strictly covert, but we have members at all levels of society and government who ensure that we are invisible and unhindered in our operations. This is crucial, since the people we fight against are just as secret as we are."

"Wow…That's heavy stuff, man… Are you sure about all this?"

Marcus smiled as he recalled exhibiting the same apprehensions at his own recruitment year ago. He moved to reassure his younger brother as best he could,

"I was nervous when I started too, Milo, but I promise you can back out at any time if you decide it's too much."

"What is this super-secret group even called, Marcus?"

"We are the Order of Shadows."

"Well, there's a creepy name if ever there was one. What can you tell me about it?"

Marcus looked around a bit before answering, to make sure they wouldn't be overheard or interrupted. They were on the outskirts of town, so Marcus decided they should be secure.

"Are your Pokémon with you? They should hear this. Especially Azura."

"Yeah…" Milo took out his two Pokémon, and Marcus launched into his explanation.

"The Order of Shadows recruits powerful Trainers who have a very strong connection to one or more Dark-type Pokémon. Since you have Azura, and you and your team have already accomplished so much in such a short time, you qualify."

"Okay, but-"

"Wait", Marcus held up a hand, "let me finish. Let me give you some context. The Order of Shadows is one of three secret organizations in the Extraordinary Forces Trifecta. Our primary job, like I said, is to keep balance between absolute order and complete chaos. To that end we use a set of ancient Dark relics that have given us power for centuries."

"Power? What kind of power?"

In response, Marcus winked slyly, and extended his hand. A ball of Dark energy formed in his palm. To Milo's amazement, his older brother turned and hurled the energy into a nearby tree, blasting it into oblivion.

"That kind of power", said the Gym Leader, "Ever heard of Aura?"

"You mean like Aura Guardians and all that? Is that what that was?"

"That was Dark Aura. The effect is almost exactly the same, but its essence is the exact opposite of traditional Aura. If you choose to join us, I have a relic with me that will grant you that same power."

Milo's mind had too many questions, and he could only manage a stunned silence as his brother continued,

"There are two other organizations that make up the Extraordinary Forces Trifecta, or the EFT; both are just as old and secretive as our Order. The first is the PsyForce Tribe. As you might guess, they specialize in Psychic powers, and all their initiates are given psychic abilities comparable to that of a standard Alakazam."

"An Alakazam? That's insane, how could they _all_ be that strong?"

"Just as we have relics that bestow power on those we deem worthy, they have a crystal that imbues those who touch it with that kind of power. We however, as possessors of Dark Aura, are immune to their effects, just as our Dark type Pokémon are immune to their Psychic type moves."

"But what do they do that makes them your enemies?"

"The PsyForce Tribe is completely bent on establishing absolute order. They don't want to be in charge directly, their aim is to prop up puppets and agents so that they can control everything in the world from behind the scenes. They will also take any chance they can find to harm us. There is only one thing they hate more than us."

"I'm guessing that's the third organization in the EFT?"

Marcus chuckled, amused at how fast his brother was coming around to the revelations he was presenting, "That's right, Milo, very good. The last organization is the Spirit League. They are wielders of ethereal, otherworldly energy based around Ghost type Pokémon. They are the dead opposite of the PsyForce Tribe. They are the most dedicated and intelligent anarchists the world has ever known – or not known, as it were. They desire to tear down all order and give the world over to total chaos."

"And do they have powers they get from relics, like the other two?"

"Right again. They control a very powerful primal spirit that bestows ghostly power on those that absorb a small part of it into themselves. We are not immune to them, but we are still more resistant to their powers than most."

Marcus finally stopped talking and just watched Milo process everything he'd just said. After a short pause, Milo took a short breath, set himself, and said, "That's everything, then? That's all you have to tell me?"

"That's about all of it. I know it's a lot. What do you think?"

"You sure make the Order of Shadows sound noble, the whole 'balancing between chaos and order' thing seems like a good deal… Is it really as big as it sounds? I mean, what would I expect if I decide right now to join up?"

"Good questions. Honestly, yes, the fight we fight is truly as big as I told you. You know me; I wouldn't be doing this if it wasn't worth it. As for what would happen to you, here's the low down: I give you the power of Dark Aura right now, no questions asked. After that, I would be your primary point of contact. You can continue on your journey just as you had planned, and whenever a mission comes up for you, it will be relayed to me and I will in turn brief you. You use everything at your disposal to complete the mission and then your time is once again your own. It's that simple. So; are you in?"

Milo was faced with the choice at last. Was he in or not? He couldn't decide; it just seemed too big for him… But one look at his older brother made up his mind. Marcus, his lifetime idol, the one person whose judgment he trusted above anyone else, had offered this to him and given him a personal guarantee. This was legitimate, and they had sought him out because they thought him worthy. Who was he to argue when Marcus asked him personally?

"…I'm in. Let's do this, Marcus."

"Yes!" Marcus wrapped him in a strong embrace and then took a deep breath, "I really was hoping you'd accept. Now we're in this together. Alright, hold out your left hand, let's make it official."

Milo held out his left hand and watched carefully as Marcus produced an ordinary-looking smooth black stone from his pocket.

 _Milo,_ Azura sounded overwhelmed and in awe, _that stone is…that's the most powerful thing I've ever sensed! That stone has unbelievable Dark power!_

Milo looked again, but it was just a smooth, black rock, small enough to fit inside a clenched fist. Then Marcus closed his eyes and seemed to focus on something. The rock began to glow with a black aura similar to the one Azura produced when she used her special abilities. A symbol shone eerily white in the middle of it; like a yin-yang shape with a line straight through the middle of it.

Milo flinched as he felt something move towards him that he couldn't see. His outstretched hand suddenly felt very warm, and he saw a tendril of energy loop itself upward around his arm, slowly encircling his whole body with Dark energy. The world around him disappeared as he was enveloped in the power of the stone's Darkness. It seemed to infuse him, and permeate through his whole being. After a few seconds, his left hand burned intensely and the darkness that had surrounded him collapsed inward and rushed inside of him, leaving him standing once again in the open night air just outside of Oreburgh.

"Whoa."

"Feels weird, right?" Marcus asked.

Milo looked around again, and his eye caught the small stone that had given him his new power. He was shocked to see a massive and powerful aura emanating from it, throwing off waves of Dark Aura.

"Holy cow! Azura, is that what you're seeing too?"

 _Yes. That's the amazing power this thing possesses. That must be one of the oldest and most powerful Dark relics in existence._

"So", Milo hesitantly asked, "how do I use this Dark Aura stuff?"

"It takes practice", Marcus shrugged, "but essentially you just think about and…well, you just sort of _do_ it. Here, give it a try."

Milo focused on a mental image of what Marcus had done earlier, and held out his left hand. He gasped as a ball of roiling Darkness formed in his palm. As his concentration broke the ball dissipated harmlessly, leaving as quickly as it had come. The young Trainer turned his hand over to find the glowing insignia he had seen in the stone now burned white into his hand, fading slowly as the power left his palm.

"See what I mean?" asked Marcus, "It'll feel weird for a while, but if you practice diligently I'm sure you'll pick it up quickly. Once you figure it out you can do pretty much anything you can imagine with your Dark Aura power. One thing in particular; you can use a Dark version of telepathy with Pokémon who trust you."

"That's nothing new, I already talk to Azura."

"Correction; you talk to her through _her_ mind, using _her_ power. She connects to you. Now, you can connect to her or any of your other Pokémon using your own power."

"Ferno?" Blaze was curious. He'd been so quiet that Milo had almost forgotten he was there listening. He looked quizzically at Milo, wondering if he could now speak with his Trainer without using Azura as an intermediary.

Milo was unsure how such a thing might work, but Marcus waved him on, silently urging him to try. So, with a deep breath, Milo stretched out his mind towards Blaze. To his utter shock he did indeed feel a connection, and Blaze's eager voice soon came through;

 _Milo? That's you, right? It's really working? This is amazing!_

Milo laughed aloud in wonderment. He could really use his very own telepathy to communicate with his partners. Unbelievable…

 _Yeah, buddy, it's me. This is…wow. I never thought this could be possible._

 _Now we can talk whenever, right?_

 _Yeah, Blaze, we can talk all the time. I'll bet you can't wait to be a little chatterbox!_

Milo and Blaze broke out in childish giggling, elated at their ability to communicate like never before.

"I'll take that to mean it's working", Marcus commented, "but now it's getting late. I'll want to talk to you again in the morning, but for now we should head back, yeah?"

"Yeah…yeah, I guess so."

So much had happened; Milo's head was in the clouds as he walked with Marcus back to the Pokémon Center. Nurse Joy had no problem with Milo sharing his room, so Marcus threw his stuff on the floor and collapsed on the couch. The two brothers shared some mild conversation about family, Milo's journey, and Pokémon training in general before both of them drifted quickly to sleep.

 **Chapter 7 Thoughts: So here's Marcus, I do enjoy him, he's chill. Also, this is the dramatic entrance of the Order of Shadows and the EFT! What did you think of the exposition? There's plenty more info about the Order to come, but I didn't want to bog down one chapter with a massive stuff-dump. I would love to hear your thoughts (pretty please)! I obviously don't own Pokémon, just my OC's.**

 **If you like it, keep reading, and feel free to follow/favorite. That way you can keep up to date with Milo and other people will be more likely to find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Saviors and Shadows

Milo Chapter 8 – Saviors and Shadows

The next morning, Marcus left, citing his need to get back to Hearthome, "It's been great to see you, bro, but I can't be away super long. We'll have to hang out more often if this kind of craziness happens when we get together!"

"For sure", Milo was beaming from ear to ear at Marcus' approval, "and before too long, I'll need to come visit you! I'll need that Hearthome badge eventually!"

"That you will", laughed the older brother, "but it won't be easy. Amaya, it was great to meet you! Best of luck on the rest of your journey! With this goofball for a travelling buddy you'll need it."

Amaya waved politely back, and Marcus ruffled his younger brother's hair before turning and heading out to catch the small plane that would bring him back to his Gym.

Milo was still struggling to come to grips with the barrage of events from the previous day. Marcus had shown up out of nowhere just before Annie and Oakley had attempted to reclaim the Egg, which the two brothers had successfully defended…but all that paled in comparison to the secret that now resided within Milo's very skin. He resolved that for the rest of his time in Oreburgh, he'd focus on training not only his team, but his own new Dark Aura powers. If the Order of Shadows called upon him, he needed to be ready.

He decided, for the time being, that all he could really do was to put his head down and focus on one thing at a time. He still needed a few days in Oreburgh to finish his crash course on Egg care from Nurse Joy.

"Alright. Back to our training routine, then?"

Amaya nodded, "Sure. I'm making good progress with my three and it seems like you've still got business here. What's another few days?"

"Cool. In that case, I'm headed for the mine. Coming?"

Without warning, Amaya sprinted off, yelling back over her shoulder, "Ha! Keep up, Milo!"

Laughing, he took off after his friend, outstripping her easily to win their impromptu race to the mine.

He stood at the entrance waiting with a smile, as Amaya jogged up to him, panting, "Ha…Screw you…and your speed training…not a fair race…"

"Oh, I beat you fair and square. Get over it. Anyway, ready for training?"

"Sure", she replied, recovering her breath. Together, the pair headed into the mine.

As usual, Amaya went off somewhere to build her team's power beyond the ridiculous levels she'd already achieved. Milo called out his two loyal partners and set them each a training routine. He had worked recently on designing exercises for his Pokémon that balanced working on their weaker points with honing their strengths. He, meanwhile, found an unoccupied corner to test out his Dark Aura abilities. This was slow and difficult at first; every time he began to do it right, he was so surprised that his concentration would slip and he'd completely screw up. Eventually, he reached out to Azura for help;

 _Hey girl, can you spar with me? I need to work on this Dark Aura thing, and I think your Dark moves should just about do the trick._

 _Sure, Milo_.

Azura stood herself a ways away from her Trainer and began by firing a simple, relatively tame Shadow Ball…which hit Milo square in the chest after his attempted counterattack once again fizzled out in his palm.

He kept at it tenaciously, and after another couple hours, shortly before they took a break for lunch, Milo managed to fire a ball of Dark energy through Azura's latest Shadow Ball, sending her skidding backwards across the rock floor.

"YES! I did it! Oh, wait, are you alright Azura?"

 _I'm fine, Milo. That was really good though, if you work on it, that has some real potential._

"Cool. Let's find Blaze and Amaya and get some lunch. Nurse Joy will expect me soon."

That day, when they were done going over the nuances of caring for a Lucario Egg in particular, Nurse Joy offered Milo some unexpected encouragement;

"Milo, you've done a great job. I think that's all I have to tell you about Eggs, actually. I'd like to see you again tomorrow, to discuss caring for the Riolu that will hatch eventually, but after that, I think you should be ready to go!"

"Really?" Milo smiled down at the Egg, which he was holding in his lap, "Thanks, Nurse Joy! That's really exciting!"

"I agree. Remember, if our estimates are correct, it shouldn't have much more than a week or so before you can expect it to hatch. But for now, just keep it with you and focus on your training!"

Having made his breakthrough with Dark Aura before lunch, Milo made rapid progress when he returned to the mine for afternoon training. With another hour and a half or so of work, he had mastered Dark Aura sphere, and was moving on to other forms of attack. He soon had a Dark Beam as well as a Dark Pulse attack to add to his Dark Aura arsenal.

His Pokémon were a big help as he taught himself, and by the time evening approached, he was finding success fighting against both of them simultaneously.

"HAH!" Milo yelled triumphantly as he released a wave of Darkness that radiated powerfully out of him and threw an onrushing Blaze backwards.

 _Predictable_ , he heard Azura's smug voice in his head. Too late he realized that she had vaulted over his attack and had thrown herself into a savage Night Shade that plowed through Milo's left side. Standing victoriously over him, Azura playfully hit his head with her front paw and chuckled,

 _Got you. We win again_.

 _Yeah,_ he replied _, but I was closer that time!_

 _Tell me about it_ , came Blaze's voice, _that last one really stung! You're definitely getting stronger._

Milo chuckled and scratched his head in embarrassment, _Yeah, sorry about that, pal._

Blaze aimed a cheeky leg sweep at his Trainer in joking retaliation, and Milo laughed along before saying, "Okay guys, this seems like a good time to break for dinner, I feel like we've all made a lot of progress today. Deal?"

 _YES!_ Blaze immediately clenched his stomach, _I'm starving…_

"Alright, then. We'll call it for the day."

Amaya had already gone back, it seemed, so Milo and his Pokémon headed straight for the Center, where Nurse Joy greeted them as usual. The young Trainer cleaned himself off before going back to the cafeteria where he found Amaya seated alone in a booth staring out the window blankly. Her headphones were, predictably, stuffed firmly over her ears until she noticed Milo. She took them off and said,

"Hey. You're back. How was training?"

"Pretty productive, actually. You?"

She shrugged, "Eh. Hard to tell, really, I think my team has outgrown the wild enemies in the mine. Seems like we're generating more power, though, and accuracy has improved."

"Good, good. We did some work on power as well, plus battle reflexes and speed."

The pair got up to get themselves food from the buffet, and brought back full plates along with type-specific food for each of their Pokémon. There wasn't much conversation as the hungry Trainers plowed through their food.

Exhausted and satisfied by the day's work, they soon bid one another good night and returned to their respective rooms to settle in. Milo had just flopped on his bed with a sigh when a knock came at the door;

"Hello", came Nurse Joy's courteous voice through the door, "Milo? Can you come out for a minute?"

He hurriedly got up and rushed to the door. Nurse Joy looked apologetically at him, held up a mobile phone, and said quickly, "I'm so sorry to disturb you, but it's your brother Marcus. He says it's urgent."

What could Marcus be calling about? He'd only left that morning…

"Alright", Milo answered, taking the phone, "thank you, Nurse Joy. I'll bring this back out to you when I'm done."

"Perfect", she smiled.

Closing the door, Milo held the phone up and turned the screen on to reveal Marcus, who bore a serious expression. He seemed to be sitting in a back office at his Gym.

"What's up, bro?"

"Well, Milo", began the older brother, "things are moving quicker than even I thought. The Order of Shadows has a mission for you already."

"What? No…no, I'm not ready! I've barely started working on Dark Aura, I-"

"I know, bro, I know. I'll be there to help you out, but you need to be in Floaroma the day after tomorrow, that's when this is going down."

"What's going down, what's the mission even about?"

"Have you ever heard of the Windworks that's just East of Floaroma?"

"Yeah, I've heard of it, don't Drifloon sometimes show up there?"

"Correct, but that's not why we're needed. The Spirit League has come from nowhere and seized the facility. Essentially, they want to use it as a power play; get in, cause fear and chaos, and eventually take the whole thing down. If we don't take it back very soon, Pokémon and humans alike could be in serious danger."

Milo was utterly stunned, but he summoned what courage he could muster in that moment and said with a small voice, "…okay, Marcus. I'll be there in two days."

"That's excellent, Milo. Listen, I'm really proud of you, little bro. I know this is a lot right now, I know it feels overwhelming, but you're doing a really good job holding it together. Just keep it up, alright?"

"Yeah…I will. Marcus, thanks."

"Alright. I'm going to go; you should sleep on all this. You'll feel more confident after a rest."

"Good night, Marcus", Milo said numbly, before hanging up. He walked the phone back out to Nurse Joy's desk, and when he got back to his room he sank onto the couch, head in hands, completely unsure what to do with himself.

He released his Pokémon, and Azura immediately wriggled her way into his lap, saying,

 _We heard everything through you, Milo. We'll be right with you through all of it._

 _Yeah_ , added Blaze, _It's a lot, but this is the right thing to do. We can help those people._

"You're right, guys, but…I just don't feel ready. I'm, well, honestly I'm really scared. How can I possibly take back a facility full of trained anarchists with Ghost powers? I've had my new abilities for exactly one day!"

Azura cooed softly, trying to calm her friend and Trainer, _Remember, Marcus will be with us. He has strong Pokémon, he has experience, he trusts you, and you trust him. I know you've just gotten use to your Dark powers, but I think you've made massive progress. You're stronger than you give yourself credit for._

"Thanks, guys. I just…can't help being nervous. I mean, all of a sudden I have two days to prepare to raid a hostile facility like some kind of military commando team."

Blaze punched him softly in the arm, and commented with a smile, _That actually sounds kind of cool, anyway. Besides, it's natural to be nervous. I'd probably be more worried if you weren't nervous._

Milo gave a weak chuckle, and said, "Alright. Marcus was probably right; I should just sleep on it. Tomorrow I'll have my last lesson over lunch with Nurse Joy and we can get back to Jubilife by evening. That'll give us a much easier time making it to Floaroma the next day to meet Marcus."

Feeling slightly reassured, he was able to eventually force himself to sleep, though it took a while.

The next morning, he proposed his improvised schedule to Amaya, "Hey, so, after lunch today I'll be done learning what I need to know about the Egg, so why don't we head out after that? I mean, we'll have no more real reason to stay."

"Just like that, huh?" Amaya raised an eyebrow at her friend.

"Well", Milo shrugged, "you said yourself that your team had outgrown those mines as a training site, right? If I'm done and you're done, we ought to get going towards Eterna. What do say tonight we go back to Jubilife, so we can head to Floaroma tomorrow and then on through Eterna Forest?"

Amaya stared for a moment, as she tended to do when thinking. Milo found her intensity rather unsettling, but it was just one of her little quirks. Soon she came out of her trance and said, "Alright, sure. We can hit the road this afternoon."

So, one last time, the whole crew headed out for the mine to train. Milo worked frantically during those few hours on his Dark Aura in much the same way as the previous day, and made similarly significant progress. He was still extremely nervous, but his confidence in his abilities was on the rise. Emboldened by this small success, he presented himself, tired but beaming, at the usual place for his lunchtime appointment with Nurse Joy. For one final hour he learned as much as he could, this time with regards to caring for what would eventually be a newborn Riolu. Nurse Joy even teared up as she concluded and shook Milo's hand, saying,

"I really can't thank you enough for everything you've done. Your heroic actions in defending this Egg and your willingness to care properly for it are truly inspiring."

Embarrassed, Milo answered, "Wow, thanks, Nurse Joy. I just…want to do the right thing, and this little Pokémon deserves the best it can get after what happened to its parents."

"I couldn't agree more", added the devoted Joy fervently.

Within an hour, Milo and Amaya had gathered everything they had with them and bid farewell to Oreburgh. This time, Amaya insisted on taking the road that Milo had conveniently 'forgotten about' on their way towards the city. Along this road they met another teenage couple who were lounging on a bench, watching people go by.

"Hey", called out the boyfriend, "You two look like Trainers! How about a double battle? You two versus me and my girlfriend here."

Milo glanced towards Amaya, who shrugged, and said simply, "I'm game if you are."

"Alright", Milo answered the boy's challenge, "we'll take you down. Two on two?"

"Woohoo! Then let's go, Starly!"

His girlfriend got up with a cheer, "I believe in us, Kricketot!"

"Terrus", called Amaya, "you're up."

"Alright then", Milo made his choice, "Azura, let's go to work!"

Amaya, as usual, took it a bit more seriously than everyone else, "We'll get started! Terrus, Bite Starly before it gets in the air!"

Terrus practically flew across the makeshift field and clamped down hard on the unprepared little bird. Using this as a distraction, Milo calmly made his move, "Pursuit, on Kricketot."

While Terrus and Starly struggled, Azura almost silently took out Kricketot in one savage hit.

"Terrus, Body Slam it!"

The aggressive young turtle obliged with gusto, and Starly was also down for the count. The whole battle had lasted mere seconds.

"…Whoa."

The boyfriend was in a state of shock, "That was…kind of nuts. Not to mention a bit of a buzzkill."

"Yeah, sorry about that", Milo felt incredibly awkward and slightly ashamed; "My friend here has no chill. Hope you have a nice rest of your day, I guess?"

"Yeah, you too…" The couple returned to their bench, their earlier excitement now thoroughly subdued. Milo hurried off down the road and motioned for Amaya to follow. When she caught up, and they were out of earshot, he hissed rather insistently,

"What the heck? It's a casual battle, not a Gym challenge!"

Amaya retorted quite correctly, "Hey, don't talk to me about casual, you knocked out that girl's Kricketot in one move when she wasn't even paying attention."

Taken slightly aback, Milo had to admit she was right. He took a deep breath, and began, a little more calmly this time, "Okay, good point. Maybe we both need to work on taking it down a notch when the battle is more casual. Deal?"

"Sure", answered Amaya without real conviction, "I guess."

If Milo had learned anything of his new friend, it was that 'taking it down a notch' was the least natural thing for her to do. Sighing, he decided to let it drop.

It wasn't much longer before they came to the city limits of Jubilife. After finding a local burger joint for a quick dinner, Milo and Amaya knocked once again on the door of the JPTA, to be greeted by an eternally bubbly Mrs. Ketchum.

"Milo! So good to see you back! Please, come in! Ah, and hello, Amaya!"

"Nice to be back, Mrs. Ketchum", replied Milo, "even if it's just another quick visit. We're passing through to get to Floaroma."

"I see! Already on your way to that second badge, then?"

"That's right. I'm assuming it's alright if I use my old room again?"

"Certainly", she replied, "just wait half a minute and I'll fix it up for you."

The two young Trainers watched as Mrs. Ketchum bustled up the stairs to Milo's room. After a minute of quiet, Amaya spoke her mind,

"What's your plan for Gardenia? Just use Blaze?"

Milo grinned before answering, "Already thinking about that, huh? I think Azura will be better suited for Gardenia's Grass types."

"…All right, Milo, I'll bite. Why is your _Dark type_ better suited for a _Grass Gym_ than your fire type starter?"

"It's not about types, though, it's about Pokémon. Gardenia's strength is in Special Attack, moves like Grass Knot and Magical Leaf. She's faced plenty of Fire-types before; using Blaze would be just what she'd expect. Azura has better Special Defense, and I'm sure Gardenia won't have a contingency plan for her. I'll use Blaze, certainly, but only to draw out her trump card."

Amaya shook her head and commented, "Eh, you're overthinking it again. Terrus can take her down, Grass to Grass, and Coral's got Ice Beam if I need help."

At that point, Mrs. Ketchum came back down, and announced to the youngsters that their accommodations were ready. They both decided to call it an early night so they could hit the road in the morning with plenty of time to reach Floaroma.

Accordingly, they walked out the JPTA's front door at 8 o'clock the next morning, after Milo gave his favorite teacher and personal confidant a quick hug goodbye.

"North gate", Amaya said, pointing down the street, "right? This way?"

Milo chuckled, "North gate…that way", he responded, heading off in the opposite direction.

"Whatever", she grumbled as she caught up.

In a short while they were out of the city, and Milo took the opportunity to release his Pokémon, to allow them to stretch their legs.

 _Ah_ , Azura sighed contentedly as she jogged about, _that's nice. Where are we?_

 _North of Jubilife. We're hoping to make Floaroma in good time today._

Blaze cut in very excitedly, _Isn't that where Marcus is meeting us for our first secret mission?_

Milo's smile fell a bit as he thought ahead once more to the challenge that loomed ever nearer, _Yeah, buddy. That's where we're meeting Marcus._

The conversation was cut off as Amaya yelled in surprise, "Look out!"

Milo was startled and looked about quickly, before he saw a crowd of wild Pachirisu scrambling frantically over one another to escape…something. They rushed past the two Trainers, hardly seeming to notice they were even there.

"What was that about?" asked a very bewildered Amaya.

"I don't know", answered Milo, "but it does surprise me that we haven't come across any other wild Pokémon since we left the city…"

"Oh, hadn't thought about that, you're right. Let's keep going, maybe we'll find out what's up."

It wasn't too much longer before some more frenzied Pokémon came dashing past. This time it was a pair of Bidoof, one of which was clearly in some pain, limping lightly along behind its partner.

"Okay", Amaya said, "something is definitely up here."

"Agreed", said Milo cautiously, "we should be ready for anything."

"…This always seems to happen to us."

Milo couldn't resist a chuckle, "It does, doesn't it? Must be our good luck."

Blaze cut off any further discussion by running ahead a short ways and holding up a hand to demand silence. Both young Trainers stopped immediately in their tracks, and silence erupted eerily around them as each listened as hard as they could.

 _Blaze_ , Milo asked mentally, _what's up, buddy? What did you hear?_

 _I heard a small voice. Sounded like it was in pain. That way, maybe?_

 _I hear it too!_ Azura leaped forward and ran off into the forest to the left.

"Amaya, let's go!"

Milo took off, and Amaya followed, asking, "What's going on? What did Blaze hear?"

Without stopping or looking back, Milo answered, "Small Pokémon, possibly injured, definitely scared."

 _There_ , yelled Azura, _in that tree!_

Milo was horrified. Not one, but two small Pokémon, a Shinx and an Eevee, were backed up against the trunk of a large tree. They were surrounded by a group of three Gastly being directed by a Haunter. The ghosts had set up a kind of perimeter, and were more or less toying with their victims. The Eevee looked like it was too young, too scared, or too injured to fight, so the Shinx stood bravely in front of its friend, firing off wanton Crunch and Spark attacks at the slowly advancing attackers. Amaya arrived a second after Milo, and together they called in their Pokémon as reinforcements.

"Azura, Pursuit, drive off that Haunter first!"

"Terrus, go! Bite and Razor Leaf! Get those bullies out of there!"

Azura caught the Haunter off guard with a vicious Pursuit and refused to let the ghost Pokémon have any recovery time to organize its cronies, as she continued to bludgeon it into submission. Meanwhile, Terrus leapt in heroically to cover the young Shinx. The brave Turtwig immediately began pummeling the confused Gastly with myriad attacks, whatever he could fire off. The Gastly still outnumbered the defenders, though, and despite the sudden beating, they began to recover enough to hit back at Terrus, who looked enraged.

"Come on, Terrus!" Amaya knew there wasn't enough space for her to call Coral or Granite into action to help. She yelled frantically, "Those two Pokémon need you! Be strong! FIGHT BACK!"

Terrus released the loudest roar he could muster and began to glow fiercely

"TUURRRR-TWIIIIIGG!"

When the light died down, balls of green energy flew out in every direction…from a newly evolved Grotle. Terrus had been so driven to win this fight that he had evolved!

"Yes!" Amaya cheered on her newly evolved partner, "That's Energy Ball, great job, Terrus! Come on, you know you can do this!"

"Haun! Haunter!"

A thoroughly beaten Haunter called sharply to its allies, wriggled away from Azura's latest onslaught, and without further warning, all the ghosts disappeared. They seemed to be headed away towards the East side of Floaroma.

Milo ran in to try and get a look at the injured young Eevee, but was stopped in his tracks by a Spark from the Shinx, which refused to let him get any closer.

"Okay", Milo thought as fast as he could, "Umm, Azura, see if you can talk to it. See what's wrong with Eevee, and if you can, convince Shinx to let us help."

 _I'll…I'll try…_

Milo couldn't understand Azura's suddenly shaky voice, until he realized that this situation almost exactly mirrored her own childhood trauma. She was probably feeling all her own old fear again…

 _Blaze_ , Milo called out to his other partner, _this is your chance to help out. Let Azura talk to the Eevee, but I need you to calm Shinx down and convince it to let us help._

 _You got it_ , Blaze answered, immediately stepping up to the Shinx. He had to take a couple of weak attacks before the young Electric type would listen to him.

Milo could only understand Blaze's half of the conversation, but it was clear that the young Shinx was having none of Blaze's efforts to defuse the situation. Turning to Amaya, Milo asked,

"You got any ideas? I can't figure out how to make this thing chill out enough for us to help it and Eevee."

"I…have an idea, but it's kind of crazy."

"Crazy is fine", Milo answered quickly, "just do it. These two need help as soon as possible."

"Alright", Amaya turned and called her new Grotle into action, "Terrus, it's our turn to do some convincing. If this thing doesn't thing we're strong enough to protect it, let's show it how strong we are! Prepare for a battle!"

 _Well,_ thought Milo _, that's certainly crazy…_

He looked over to the tree trunk to see Azura huddled as close as possible to the young Eevee, who had buried its head in her black fur. She looked back at her Trainer with a face of abject sorrow and Milo's heart went out to them both.

 _Come on, Amaya, your idea better work. We need to get these two to a Center NOW._

Despite everything about this situation, Amaya was in her element, totally focused in on this battle.

"Alright, Terrus, give it an Energy Ball. Remember, we're trying to put on a show here, not pummel this Shinx."

As the moderately weak Energy Ball landed perfectly, Amaya called out, "Now dodge its counter."

Sure enough, a Spark attack flew out and struck a tree right behind the place that Terrus had just left.

"Tackle."

While the Shinx was still wondering at where its opponent had gone, it was slammed in the side by a charging Terrus. The attack certainly packed a punch, but Milo could see that Amaya's Pokémon was doing a great job cushioning its attacks so as not to cause further injury.

The Shinx took a long time to get back up, but it gave a low growl and forced itself back into a standing position. Amaya took an empty Pokéball from the side pocket of her backpack and looked back at the Shinx, who was too tired to make any more formal attacks, and simply stood there, snarling.

"You've got guts, little guy, but your tank is empty. You're coming with me now!"

She threw the ball, and watched it wiggle, before settling with a soft ping.

"Nice, Amaya. I may just try the same thing."

Still in mental overdrive, Milo took a spare Luxury ball from his bag and approached Azura and the small Eevee. He was extremely cautious and reached out to Azura first,

 _I need you to keep it calm. This is the best way we can help it._

 _She knows exactly what this means_ , responded Azura, _I've been talking to her the whole time. She wants to come with us. She trusts me, and I trust you. Come on, Milo._

Milo was taken aback, and also impressed, _Wow…Excellent job, Azura. I'm really proud of you for jumping in and calming it – her – down like that._

Milo walked slowly up to the young Pokémon and offered the ball, setting it on the ground and stepping back. He heard a soft conversation between Azura and Eevee, before Azura gave her an encouraging push towards the Luxury ball. The little Eevee nervously put a tiny paw on the button and was sucked in. The ball wiggled once or twice before pinging.

Milo took a second to hug Azura before returning both of his Pokémon, picking up the Pokéball and turning to Amaya; "Let's go. We need to get them to Floaroma."

The two Trainers took off running down the route, towards Floaroma Town. The exchange had cost them about fifteen to twenty minutes all told, and it was mid-morning. After they picked up the pace significantly, they needed only a short rest around 11:30 to eat a small snack and replenish their energy before they made it all the way to Floaroma by half past noon.

Gasping for breath, Milo and Amaya threw open the door of the Pokémon Center and hurried up to the counter.

"Nurse Joy", began Milo, "we have…two young Pokémon…that we found on the route…they need help right away."

Leaning on Nurse Joy's desk for support, he took out his new Eevee's Luxury Ball and released her. Hands on her knees, Amaya looked up just long enough to let Shinx out of its new Pokéball before doubling back over, lungs heaving.

"Oh, my! I'll get them back and work on them straight away!"

With a clap of her hands, Nurse Joy summoned two Wigglytuff assistants who immediately soothed the two frightened young Pokémon and got them on operating tables before rushing back to begin helping as only they could.

As they waited nervously in the lobby of the Center, Milo called his brother to let Marcus know he had arrived in Floaroma.

"Hey there, little bro", answered Marcus with a calm grin.

"Hey Marcus. I'm in the Floaroma Pokémon Center right now. You in town yet?"

"Ah. Uh, no. I will be soon, though. I'm about to board a small plane from Eterna to Floaroma, so I'll be there in a few hours."

Amaya had overheard, and asked with a raised eyebrow, "Wait, are we meeting Marcus here? What's that about? And why was he in Eterna?"

"Wait", a rather sly smile grew on Milo's face as understating struck him, "don't tell me…you were visiting Gardenia again, weren't you?"

Marcus was visibly uncomfortable, opening and closing his mouth several times before finally responding, "Umm, yeah. Maybe I was. So what? Gym Leaders visit each other all the time, you know."

"Hah, sure they do. But I think we _all_ know you have a thing with Gardenia, Marcus."

"Seriously?" Amaya immediately cracked up with uproarious laughter, "That's amazing! I can't even imagine what those dates would be like! Ha!"

An instantly red-faced Marcus glared menacingly at his brother through the connection and said curtly, "I should go, or I'll miss my flight."

Wiping his eyes from tears of laughter, Milo hung up and commented, "Oh man, I love teasing him about that. He's been flirting with Gardenia for _years_. Pretty much since he got the job and they started hanging out."

"That's just so weird to think about, though. Like, do they actually go on dates and such?"

"I'm pretty sure they do, but Marcus never talks about it. I mean, it kind of makes sense, though. They have a lot in common, obviously, and they're the only ones their age. Roark and Volkner are older, Maylene and Candice are younger, and Wake and Byron are a whole _lot_ older."

"You know", Amaya answered after some thought, "I suppose that does actually make sense. I never would have imagined it, though."

Nurse Joy came back out, and smiled wearily at the two Trainers; "Your Pokémon are finally in stable condition. I'm impressed that you two were able to get them here in such a hurry. You got them here before they were in any real danger. As things stand, they'll just need a couple days to rest and feel better."

Milo jumped up, but Azura was even faster, bounding forward towards the back hallway. Milo leapt up to follow her before remembering to turn and ask Nurse Joy,

"Is it… alright if we go back and see them now?"

Nurse Joy was used to this kind of reaction from eager Trainers, and chuckled before replying, "Certainly. Just be soft and careful around them, they're still a bit fragile."

Azura was already waiting, pawing at the door to the little Eevee's room. Shinx was being cared for across the hall.

"We got a couple hours until Marcus gets here", said Milo to Amaya, "so take your time."

Amaya nodded, and each Trainer walked in to see their new Pokémon.

 _You're really invested in this Eevee, Azura_ , Milo noticed as he opened the door.

Azura didn't even respond, just bolted in and jumped up on the first thing she could find to get to the Eevee she had protected in the forest.

 _Milo, she…she's just like me._

 _I thought so. The difference is that you were there for her; you can help her get through this._

 _I will. I can protect her. I can be the help for her that nobody was for me._

Milo smiled, a tear coming to his eye as he watched Azura curl up tenderly next to the young Evolution Pokémon and stare lovingly at her. He released Blaze, and thought to himself that surely this would be as much a healing experience for Azura as it would be for…but what should he name the newest addition to his team?

 _Does she have a name, Azura?_

 _I'm sure she – she's waking up!_

Sure enough, various beeps from the medical machines went off or sped up for a few seconds before the little Eevee's eyes opened, and she uttered a small, weak "vee?"

Azura began instantly to speak softly and consolingly to her, while maintaining a mental connection with Milo.

 _It's okay, little one. You're safe now, you're healing._

The little Eevee said something in return, and Azura smiled once more and responded,

 _That's right; you're not a wild Eevee anymore. Your Trainer is right over there, his name is Milo._

"Hi there, Eevee", Milo walked around to stand in the tiny Pokémon's field of vision, "I'm Milo. I hope we can be great friends. I'll do whatever I can to take care of you."

"Mon! Monferno!"

Blaze didn't want to feel left out, and he also came around to present himself to his new young teammate.

The Eevee smiled and asked something, causing Azura and Blaze to laugh. Azura responded verbally and mentally, for Milo's benefit;

 _Oh don't worry, he's got lots of food and other treats for you. Can you tell us your name, little one? Do you have a name?_

Azura listened to her response, and informed Milo, _Our new friend's name is Aurora. Do you…want to connect to her? It should work, but I should warn her before you do._

Overwhelmed by this precious interaction, Milo simply nodded in response. Azura said something to Aurora, presumably an explanation, and Aurora looked surprised – as much as was possible in her still very tired state – but seemed to agree.

Milo took a deep breath and reached out to the young Eevee;

 _…Aurora? Can you understand me?_

 _Hello? Is that you…Milo?_

Aurora's voice made it further clear that she was very young indeed.

 _Thank you for helping me. I was really scared._

Moved by her innocence, Milo knelt by her small bed and reached out a hand to pet her very softly, saying through his mind,

 _Of course, Aurora. From now on, I'll always be here to keep you safe. We're on the same team now. We watch out for one another._

With what little energy she could muster, Aurora turned herself slightly and playfully grabbed at Milo's hand. He was transfixed by this young Pokémon, who so quickly trusted and loved him. As he watched, she opened her mouth in an adorable yawn that reminded Milo that she was still just beginning her recovery.

 _Okay, Aurora,_ he told her, _you need to get some sleep to feel better. We're going to go so that you can rest, alright?_

She didn't respond, and Milo stood there waiting until Azura told him gently, _She's already asleep, Milo. Come on, let's go, quietly._

They met Amaya in the lobby, and traded stories. It was Amaya's turn first, and she cracked a smile immediately and said, "Leon will fit in great, he's a real fighter."

"Leon? Is that what you named him?"

"Yup. Seems appropriate, and it has a ring to it. He's a fierce little guy, but he likes me and Terrus, so I'm pretty stoked to get him training."

She continued to share the details of her first real meeting with Leon the Shinx, and then Milo began talking about Aurora. Once he got going, it was quite a while before he even stopped long enough to take a breath, so thrilled was he about his new team member.

Evetually, Milo ran out of words, and it wasn't long afterwards that Marcus' flight arrived from Eterna. The two young Trainers met him at the small airport on the other side of Floaroma, and Milo immediately went in on his older brother;

"How's Gardenia? Did you tell her I say hello? Did you at least go out for lunch _together_?"

"Aw, come on, man. Can you not just let that go? It's not any of your business."

"You're my brother", laughed Milo with a joking punch to Marcus' arm, "of course it's my business to bug you when you have a crush that's _that_ obvious!"

"Ugh. Whatever. Let's find dinner, I'm starving."

Over dinner, Marcus casually remarked, "Oh, by the way, I need to have another conversation with you after this, Milo. Just you and me. No offense, Amaya."

She shrugged, as unaffected as ever, "Eh, don't mind me. Your family business is your own. Do what you have to."

Milo took a deep breath. He knew what was about to happen. He and Marcus were maybe two hours away from launching a two man nighttime raid on a facility that was controlled by a veritable horde of hostile Ghost Pokémon users. His first mission for the Order of Shadows was coming very soon.


	9. Chapter 9 - Unleashed

Milo Chapter 9 – Unleashed

Milo sat nervously on his bed; hands clenched together. He lifted his head when Marcus emerged from the bathroom, wearing snug black pants and jacket, and a cover over the lower half of his face. The face shield, as well as his fingerless gloves, bore in stark white the symbol Milo had seen before; the symbol of the Order of Shadows.

"Your turn, bro", said Marcus, throwing a similar outfit at Milo from the duffel bag he'd arrived with, "The sizes should be right. Be quick, it's getting late."

"Yeah", Milo answered shortly as he went to change himself. Marcus could tell his younger brother was subdued, and he supposed this was natural. This had all been thrown at Milo very quickly and now he was expected to be the number two operative on a full raid. The Gym Leader released Absol, his lifelong partner, and began absentmindedly stroking his friend's head fur.

 _What was command thinking_ , Marcus asked himself, _I know he's got talent, but this is dangerous. For him and me._

 _You know they'd never do this without a reason_ , Absol chimed in, having overheard his master's thoughts. They too had received the power of Dark Aura, and could thus communicate through Marcus' mind, though they knew one another so well that even this was often unnecessary.

 _They trust you to take care of him._

 _I know that_ , replied Marcus, _but a full raid on the Spirit League is not the time for this kind of experimentation._

 _Well, whatever you do_ , Absol cautioned, _don't let him see that you're nervous. He's about to pop from sheer nerves as is. His Pokémon, too, though they're trying to hide it._

 _…I know. I'm sure it'll work out. But we both need to be on extra high alert, just in case._

Milo emerged now, still looking over his new clothes;

"I look like a ninja or something. Do I get throwing stars?"

"Nice try, bud, but no. Now let's get going."

Milo nodded and started for the door, but Marcus pulled him back, and pointed to the widow, saying, "Hold up, there. Remember the _secret_ part of the whole secret mission thing? This way."

Night had fallen like a soft blanket, and the two brothers slipped out the ground floor window of the Pokémon Center as silently as possible.

Marcus motioned to Milo and they crept off away from the streetlamps on the sides of the road, and left Floaroma, heading east. They were especially cautious, at least until they left the last outskirts of the town behind them. Then Marcus gave a thumbs-up, and Absol, Blaze, and Azura all appeared in a flash as their Trainers brought them out for the raid. Off went the whole group at a run, and without much trouble they reached the Windworks in half an hour, unnoticed by a soul except for the occasional wild Pokémon.

When the tall, dark building came into view around a protruding bunch of trees, Marcus signaled a halt, and Milo could feel his pulse quicken, and his breath came in shudders.

"Here it is, Milo", his brother began, not giving any time to dwell on his renewed fears, "there's a moderately secluded wing around back with a window we should be able to get through. Once we're in I have no idea what to expect, besides fast and furious fighting. The Spirit League are no slouches, they'll be vigilant and well-guarded. Any element of surprise we have will only last a few minutes, and we'll need to make the most of it. Whatever you do, follow my lead. Let's move."

Silently, the two brothers and their three Pokémon slipped around the back of the building, skillfully avoiding the open windows to remain unseen. Marcus signaled another pause when he found their entrance. Looking back at Milo, the Leader pointed at himself, gave a number one, and then pointed at Milo with a number two.

 _Simple enough_ , thought Milo, _Just get through the window. Okay. I got this. Yeah…_

He felt a warm paw on his side, as Blaze looked determinedly up at him with a serious nod, saying,

 _This is the right thing to do. We've got your back._

Marcus stole forwards and leapt up to the window. Carefully, he pulled himself over the edge, and when he saw the coast was clear, he waved at Milo down below. With one last big breath, Milo steeled himself, ran straight at the building, and jumped with all his might. As his body hit the wall, Marcus' strong hands grabbed ahold of his own and his older brother hauled him into the building.

The two shared a look, and then Marcus' face twisted into an evil-looking smile. With a wink, he turned and sprinted down the hallway they were in, Absol keeping pace with him.

After a brief moment of shock, Milo followed, running as fast he could, silence no longer a concern.

"ABSOL, DARK PULSE!"

Milo skidded to a halt as his brother's prize Pokémon unleashed a titanic black wave at a small patrol squadron of Gastly and Duskull. Chaos erupted all around them, alarm bells began sounding, and Marcus dashed forward, leaving Milo to follow once again. He turned a corner to see Marcus and Absol squaring off against a man in a pale grey uniform wearing a creepy looking mask with a ghostly symbol emblazoned on it. Absol looked ready to go, but their opponent had three Pokémon advancing simultaneously.

A noise from the other end of the dark hallway drew Milo's attention. As Absol launched itself ferociously into the fight, Milo was horrified to see a Dusclops and two more Gastly zooming towards Marcus from behind. He knew his brother was too focused on the battle in front of him to notice, and instinct grabbed him.

"Azura, Pursuit! Blaze, Ember!"

Azura slammed viciously into an unsuspecting Dusclops with a massively effective Pursuit, and Blaze forced the Gastly to stop where they were with a well-placed Ember attack. Milo himself took the next move, and with a roar he charged a Dark Aura Sphere, hurling it as hard as he could at the Dusclops.

It went down for the count, but there were still the two Gastly to contend with.

 _Milo_ , Azura hailed him urgently, _I…I feel something; a new power._

 _Do it_ , commanded the young Trainer without hesitation.

From Azura's mouth burst a jet black fire that looked remarkably like something Blaze would have done. It engulfed the Gastly, and their unearthly screeches resounded up and down the hallway with a horrid wail.

Marcus and his opponent stopped at the noise and turned to see. Marcus was dumbfounded, and his opponent went wide-eyed in terror at this unimaginably Dark power. The man backed up, froze for a second, then ran back the way he'd come.

"That was unreal", Marcus said, "but we have to keep moving. If they get organized and cut us off, even we won't last long. Come on, their ringleader will be at the top, two more floors up."

Milo nodded, and the pair of them sprinted to the end of the hallway, past a series of computer labs and monitoring stations that looked completely destroyed. The Spirit League certainly had no interest in using the Windworks as anything but a testament to their destructive power.

The brothers had just turned a corner, Marcus in the lead, when suddenly the Gym Leader stopped on a dime and leapt back, pressing himself against the wall, and motioning frantically for Milo to do the same.

The young Trainer and his Pokémon obeyed without question, and Milo understood why in just a few seconds, as another Spirit League fighter came dashing past, two Haunters floating behind him.

Marcus jabbed a finger at Milo, demanding that he do something, and fast. With a gulp, Milo gathered himself and, imitating his brother's earlier strategy, yelled,

"DARK PULSE!"

Azura sprang out of concealment and within seconds, the two ghosts and their human leader were thrown against the wall by a dark wave of power. As they roused themselves for a counterattack, Milo struck again with ruthless efficiency;

"Dark Fire!"

The same black fire issued from Azura like a tide of pure Dark inferno.

 _That heat even feels like a real Fire move_ , Milo thought to himself. Neither human nor Pokémon was going to recover from _that_ any time soon, and so the two Shadow brothers continued on their way.

They found a staircase on their left that went up – they were making progress. Unfortunately, the stairs didn't go up to the penthouse lab, and they came out one floor below where they needed to be.

They were at the intersection of three dark hallways now, and within moments another Spirit League member came running towards them from each one.

"Time to use those Dark Aura powers, bro."

Milo's eyes widened. He'd only learned that stuff in training a couple days ago! Now he was supposed to use it against these guys?

 _Focus, Milo!_ Blaze's voice rang in his Trainer's head, _You can do this! People need you!_

"…Okay. What's the play here, Marcus?"

Without taking his eyes off the onrushing enemies, Marcus responded quickly and concisely, "I'll take these on the left, Absol and your team will take the middle, you've got the right wing."

Just like that, the fight was upon them. Milo had a split second to be proud of his two Pokémon as they charged fearlessly into the fray before he had to focus maniacally on his own side of the conflict.

He was up against a Spirit League grunt, as well as a pair of Duskull. He hit the ground as a Shadow Ball flew past his head, and leapt up with a yell and a Dark Aura Sphere.

 _I have to keep these guys contained. If I let their attacks go flying, they could hit Marcus or the Pokémon behind me._

He'd hit one of the Duskull with his sphere, and now the other came Shadow Sneaking at him in a hurry. He braced himself, unable to dodge, and felt the impact. He landed awkwardly on his back, but was up in a flash, throwing his arms out to produce a Dark wave of energy that shoved his opponents back to give him the second he needed to reset.

"Flank him", came the order from the ghost Trainer, and Milo felt the panic rising in him as the Duskull swiftly floated around to get on opposite sides of him. A wave would only delay them; he couldn't make one strong enough to truly defeat them.

 _Focus Milo_ , he told himself, _I can do this. I must do this. It's just like a Pokémon battle; look for an opportunity to strike._

He watched his opponents like a hawk as they circled around him. The pause lasted only a couple of seconds before the Spirit League grunt yelled,

"Now!"

As a pair of Shadow Ball attacks came flying in at him, instinct claimed Milo and he tucked into a neat backwards roll that carried him into close range on one of the ghosts. He fired off a point blank Dark Aura Sphere with his right hand, and was already turning to face the other side. He used his left hand to shoot a beam attack into the face of the other Duskull, and only then did he stop moving.

When his brain finally caught up with itself, he realized with no small amount of surprise that both of the Duskull were down. He was about to run and help Marcus and his team when a new pair of eyes floated out of the darkness before him. His heart sank as he recognized the cruel and terrifying face of a Gengar.

He didn't even have time to prepare himself before the ghastly monster launched a Shadow Punch that sent Milo flying into the wall behind him. He only just recovered in time to duck and scramble away from a second attack. Thinking on his feet as best he could, he flung a makeshift Dark wave behind him to buy enough time to turn and set himself.

"Show no mercy, Gengar!"

"GAR!"

Milo jumped as the Gengar's face suddenly flashed before his eyes – an Astonish attack – and before he knew it, he took another Shadow Punch to the gut. He struggled now to lift his head, but somehow rolled himself sideways as a Shadow Ball slammed into the spot he'd just left. As he emerged from his roll, he found the Gengar floating just above him, and without thinking he fired a Dark beam directly at its eerie face.

He heard it recoil in pain; his desperate ploy had worked!

 _I need to press this advantage! Come on, Milo, you got this! GET UP!_

He forced himself to his feet with a grimace and began firing off as many Dark Aura Spheres as he could come up with.

"GARRR! GENN-GARRR!"

His opponent writhed and struggled in pain before giving up and fading away. Milo was left staring at an empty hallway, the Spirit League grunt had run off. As he turned to look, the other two grunts left as well. He, Marcus, and the Pokémon all turned to look at one another, and Marcus asked incredulously,

"Did…did you just beat a full-grown Gengar into submission?"

"Umm, yeah? I guess I did. Ow, my body hurts like hell, though."

Azura and Blaze came over full of concern, but Marcus encouraged him, and said,

"We're almost at the top, Milo, keep it together for just a bit longer. Come on, this way."

They took off towards the elevator shaft, and Marcus pried open the doors;

"They – ah – turned off all the power, so we'll have to – ngh – climb up here to get to the top level, where their leader will be… Ah, there we go. Let's climb!"

With the doors now open, they all began climbing as best they could, and Milo asked cautiously, "Who is this leader you keep mentioning? What are they like? I feel like I don't know a whole lot about what's happening here."

Grimly, Marcus responded, "This is a classic Spirit League job. They never bring that many people, usually around ten; but they've always got plenty of Pokémon doing their bidding. That way they don't put themselves at any great risk. That also means that there's probably one of the Primal waiting for us at the top."

Milo was just about to ask what the heck that could mean when Marcus held a hand to his lips for silence as they reached the top of the elevator shaft and climbed out. The top floor was essentially a research penthouse; a single large room that had untold amounts of fancy equipment packed around the edges, with a large open space in the middle. It looked as though most of the equipment would need replacing, though, as it had been smashed or damaged severely.

In the middle of the room stood – or rather, hovered – a bone-thin man wearing baggy pants with no shirt and a blindfold the same color as the Spirit League uniforms they'd seen earlier. His skin was freakishly pale, paler than pale, and when they entered, he gave a slow, evil grin that showed a full mouth of pointed teeth. He seemed to be glowing with an unidentifiable aura, and the overall effect of his presence instantly gave Milo the shivers.

" _So_ ", began the man in a slow, rasping hiss that reverberated eerily about the room and seemed to come from all around them, " _The pitiful Shades have arrived at last, like dogs nipping at the heels of their masters._ "

"I was right in assuming at least one of you would be here, Primal", Marcus answered, unfazed, "You're Jeru, right? Where are Meru and Keru? With no support, I think you'll soon find out that these dogs bite worse than they bark. Absol!"

Milo copied his brother, "Azura! Blaze! Get ready!"

" _Children. Mere children. My glorious spirits will devour you all. Come forth!"_

From the far wall, opposite Milo and Marcus, emerged a Duskull, Dusclops, and Dusknoir, all with Shadow Balls at the ready.

" _Destroy them utterly._ "

As the three ghosts released their Shadow Ball attacks and charged in, Azura and Absol diffused the incoming spheres with a pair of Dark Pulses.

 _Blaze_ , called Milo to his loyal partner, _you won't do much good attacking for damage, but you can disrupt them. Throw an Ember in their path every time they look like they're going somewhere. Other than that, stay out of the way so they think you're less of a threat._

Blaze nodded, and with a determined look in his eye, jumped at the nearest ghost, the Duskull, and laid down a fiery barrier just as it was attempting to get around Absol's flank.

 _Azura_ , Milo turned his attention to his shiny Umbreon, _Keep on pounding them. Blaze will do his best to interrupt their movements, but you have to keep the heat off him._

 _Perfect_ , she answered, and almost pulverized the trapped Duskull with a savage Pursuit.

The Primal's face fell from smug confidence to concern as he realized that his forces were being overwhelmed.

" _You fools! Beat them down! Dusknoir, put an end to their futile resistance! Ominous Wind!_ "

The Dusknoir opened the mouth on its stomach and began preparing something quite powerful, but he wasn't fast enough.

"Predictable as ever, Jeru", called Marcus over the din of battle, "Absol, Punishment!"

" _NO! ATTACK, YOU USELESS BRUTES!_ "

Dusclops and Duskull tried to intercept the attack, but Milo and Azura were faster;

"Azura, take the Dusclops, I've got Duskull!"

Azura launched a Pursuit that stopped the Dusclops in its tracks, while Milo used his new powers to fire a Dark Aura Sphere into the face of the onrushing Duskull.

Free of obstructions, Absol smashed into the vulnerable Dusknoir moments before it could launch its monumental Ominous Wind attack.

"NOOIIIIRRR!"

The Gripper Pokémon howled in pain and fell to the floor. Suddenly, all three ghosts vanished and the Primal also began to simply fade away, saying as he left,

" _You may have won this round, Shade, but chaos will be achieved eventually; the will of Aeon demands it! This isn't over!_ "

Just like that, the room was empty. The whole building went silent. The Spirit League had fled.

Milo and Marcus, both breathing hard from the stressful fight, turned to look at each other. There was a moment of silence, and then both brothers began to chuckle, which soon turned to delirious laughter.

"Milo! That was amazing, bro! I knew you were strong, but Azura's power is _insane_!"

"Azura? What about Absol?! I've never seen anything like you two; that was totally crazy!"

"I can't believe you kept up that well on a full-on raid for your first mission! Seriously, bro, you are some kind of natural talent."

"Thanks", Milo flushed at the genuine compliment, "but all I really did was follow your lead, like you said. I was just trying not to be in the way."

"Not be in the way? Heck, man, you saved my butt a few times at least! Whew…that was a crazy one. Hey, focus up, though, we still need to find any hostages they may have been holding."

Both brothers immediately snapped back into serious mode, and Marcus gave quick orders, "You check the offshoot rooms on the left, I'll sweep the right. Last I heard there were about half a dozen employees unaccounted for."

Milo ran to the left and directed his Pokémon as he went;

 _Blaze, you start down there. Azura, take the other side, work towards the middle. I'll stay here in case one of you finds something._

His two partners jumped immediately to their jobs. Milo was proud of them; he knew they were as mentally and physically worn out as he was from the night's fast and furious action, but they showed not one sign of slowing down. His musings were interrupted by an urgent call from Azura,

 _I found them! Six people, nine Pokémon, all in bad shape. Get down here!_

"MARCUS", he yelled as he sprinted down to the room Azura was standing just outside of, "GET OVER HERE, WE FOUND THEM!"

He skidded to a halt and swung open the door to see, just as Azura had said, six scientists and nine small Pokémon with them. None of them seemed injured, but they were all certainly weak and malnourished.

Marcus arrived seconds later, and instantly took charge of the situation;

"Alright. We are here to help you get out; the intruders have been dealt with. Can anyone still stand and walk?"

One or two hesitantly raised their hands. Gently, these two, along with Milo and Marcus, helped the rest to their feet and supported them. Then they gently gathered up the small Pokémon that lay on the floor, shaking with exhaustion and fear. All told, there were two Azurill, five Cleffa, a Budew, and a Starly.

"Thank you…young man", gasped the woman leaning heavily on Milo's left shoulder, "they hadn't…fed us since they…captured us. That was…three days ago."

Unsure of how to respond, Milo tried to console the woman as they made their way to the elevator, which Marcus had just managed to turn back on,

"It's okay now, ma'am. We're going to get all of you back safely to Floaroma and you'll get the help you need there. Just stay with me until we can get there."

It took a while, but they at last got everyone outside safely. They sat them all down on the dark front lawn of the Windworks, and Marcus called the police;

"Hello? Officer? Yes, we're at the Windworks facility. The violent takeover has ended, and there are some people here who need emergency medical care…No, there's no longer any immediate danger…Yes, they'll need transport…Six people, and nine Pokémon…Yes, they'll be safe until you arrive…Perfect, thank you."

Marcus got off the phone and said as encouragingly as he could, "Good news, everyone, they'll be here within ten minutes. We'll stay with you until you arrive, but we'd appreciate it if you kept quiet on any details about us."

There wasn't much conversation in those ten minutes; the former hostages simply didn't have the strength for it. Now that the constant adrenaline and fear had passed, most of them fell asleep almost immediately.

As they waited, Milo and Marcus sat and held a hushed talk;

"So what the heck was that guy? He freaked me out."

"That's the point. He's one of the Primal. They are the 'admins' of the Spirit League, the bosses. There are three of them, triplets who have been altered by their ghostly powers. They report only to Aeon, the group's leader. She's the one who calls all the shots. We know barely anything about her, she's too hard to find."

"Does that other group…the PsyForce Tribe? Do they have freaky people like that, too?"

"Yeah, they have a much more structured system. Their leader is a man who goes by Psyfer. He's the most powerful psychic in the world. Directly below him are the five Mind Queens, all women who have crazy amounts of power. If you ever see them you'll know them by their eyes; they glow and they can really freak you out if you're not ready. Each Mind Queen has about a dozen or so chieftains that serve under them, and each chieftain has about a dozen bosses. Each boss commands a squad of about 5 or 6 grunts, so they're a pretty hefty organization."

Milo nodded and fell silent. He really wasn't sure how to feel. He could hardly process everything that had happened in the last couple of hours. They'd attacked a building full of hostile ghost-type users, blown through tons of enemies, attacked their leader head-on, and won, before rescuing over a dozen hostages and bringing them safely to the authorities. It sounded like superhero stuff; it simply didn't feel real.

He looked to Marcus to see his brother wearing a knowing smile.

"First mission always feels like that. Hard to believe. Trust me, though, you're stronger than you give yourself credit for."

At that point, they caught the sound of sirens wailing in the distance, rapidly getting closer. Within a minute, they could see the accompanying lights of a whole squad of emergency vehicles. Marcus signaled silently to Milo and they crept surreptitiously to the back of the group. They stood there for another few seconds before melting away into the night.

The brothers took their time getting back to Floaroma, arriving well after the emergency vehicles returned and rushed both people and Pokémon into the local hospital for immediate care.

It was well after eleven when they got back. As soon as they reached the edge of town they returned their Pokémon before making their stealthy way to the window of Milo's room at the Pokémon Center. After a brief look around to ensure the coast was clear, they popped it open and climbed smoothly into the room.

"Change back quick", advised Marcus, "we're not quite done covering our tracks yet."

Milo gave him a confused look, prompting a whispered explanation, "Look, we need to change into what we were wearing, then go back out the window and come in through the front. That should do the trick. Remember, we've just been out talking this whole time, okay?"

Milo nodded and quietly got changed. Feeling a little awkward, he followed Marcus back out the window and around the building. It took but a few seconds to put the finishing touches on their preemptive alibi. They strolled in the front door of the Pokémon Center as casually as could be, seeming to be in the midst of a discussion on the possible outcomes of various Dark type vs Dark type matchups;

"No, most Umbreon are based on defense. Azura's the exception to that rule, but-"

Marcus cut in, "But that's it exactly, you've proven my point! You can't just generalize about these things."

"Hey, there you two are!" Amaya greeted them from a booth in the lobby as she pulled off her big headphones, "You were out for a while. Everything alright?"

The two brothers grinned at each other before Milo answered, "Yeah, we just got caught up talking Dark types and didn't realize how late it had gotten. Sorry, you didn't have to wait up for us!"

"Well, I wouldn't have, but I have to tell you something."

She gestured to the empty seat opposite her and Milo sat, curious as to what news Amaya might have.

"That Egg started moving while you were out. I walked into your room to check on it and I swear it was kind of wiggling in the blankets you left around it."

Leaning over the table in excitement, Milo asked, "Are you sure? I mean, that makes sense, Nurse Joy said it shouldn't be much longer, but…you're absolutely positive it started moving?"

Amaya nodded very seriously, "I'm totally sure. I double, even triple checked because I could hardly believe it. One other thing", she called, as Milo stood to go check on his Egg right away, "the Nurse Joy here in Floaroma says that Aurora and Leon will need one more day's rest before they're ready to hit the road with us. So it looks like we're staying here for tomorrow."

"Alright", said Milo over his shoulder as he dashed down the hallway to his room, "thanks, Amaya."

He burst in the door and released Azura and Blaze. They gathered around the Egg in expectant, awed silence. Sure enough, it was pushing itself ever so gently back and forth. The young Riolu inside was very close now – very close to hatching.

Milo and Blaze huddled close to the precious Egg, but Azura hung back.

 _Milo_ , she spoke to him hesitantly, _can…I spend tonight in Aurora's room? She's been through a lot for one so young, and…_

She trailed off, her voice low and solemn, but Milo gave a gracious smile and stood up, scooping the Egg gently into his arms. He replied as consolingly as he could,

 _I understand. She needs us all to be her new family. Let's all spend tonight with her._

As they gathered some spare pillows and blankets before crossing the hall, Milo could feel a deep sense of sympathy and heartbreak from Azura. She cared desperately and deeply for this unfortunate young Eevee. She remembered only too well the emotional and physical shock and trauma the poor thing was dealing with. She was just as excited about the Egg as Milo and Blaze, but more than anything her heart went out to Aurora, like a big sister.

 _Milo,_ she tried to put her feelings into words, _I just…I want her to-_

 _I know_ , he replied respectfully, taking a moment to kneel down and wrap his arms around his partner, _I understand, Azura. She'll need you to look after her and care for her. I know you'll do a great job. Come on, let's go over._

Aurora stirred slightly as they entered her room, and her small body tensed, but Azura was by her side in a flash;

 _There now, little one. No need to fear. We're here to keep you safe and keep you company. It's just us, Aurora._

 _'Zura?_ The young Eevee visibly relaxed as the Dark-type huddled in close, _Thanks for coming back, 'Zura. I was scared in the dark by myself._

 _I know, but we're here now_ , Milo could see a tear making its telltale way down Azura's face as she lulled Aurora back to sleep, _We'll stay with you all night. Me, Milo, and Blaze; we'll all be right here next to you._

Aurora nestled herself into Azura's chest gratefully and was almost instantly asleep again. Azura held her adopted little sister close, tears of both joy and sorrow flowing together to fall softly on the pillow. A pat on Milo's knee drew his attention to Blaze, who had been dutifully laying out the extra blankets and pillows. With a glance at the Egg in his arms, Milo said mentally,

 _Thanks buddy, I really appreciate it. You take that side and I'll be over here. We can make a little nest for the Egg here, right in between us._

 _Sounds good,_ said Blaze, uncharacteristically solemn, _Hey Milo…I don't know a lot about humans, but I've met a few, and I've heard quite a bit. Still, I think you're the only one I know of who would or could do so much for Pokémon in need; like the Egg, like Aurora…and like me. Thanks, Milo._

Overcome, Milo could only respond, _Thank you, Blaze. Good night._

Usually, when one's head is spinning with things to think about it becomes difficult to sleep, but perhaps Milo's brain that night was so jam packed with things to think about – the mission, the Primal, Marcus, Marcus and Gardenia, the Egg, Aurora, Azura – that it simply decided to give up before driving itself mad. Whatever the reason, Milo was asleep within five minutes of lying down on the makeshift floor bed.

He slept long and deeply. It wasn't until around 9:30 that he was awoken by a strange feeling on his face. His eyes snapped open to see Aurora standing curiously over him, having just licked his cheek.

"Hey", he started, feeling quite groggy, "you're out of bed. What's that about? Feeling better?"

 _I think I'm ALL better!_ The little Eevee's youth was, as always, evident in her jovial voice, _'Zura says I have to stay and rest more, 'cuz I might still have some hurts leftover._

"She's right", Milo didn't bother with telepathy, "You need to stay in bed. Tomorrow you can come with us when we head out for Eterna, okay?"

 _What's Eterna?_ Rather than getting back in her bed, Aurora was bouncing about playfully, now climbing over Blaze, who didn't seem to mind.

"Eterna", said Milo with a yawn, "is a city. I'm going there to win a Gym badge."

 _What's a Jimbaje?_

 _Aurora, come back up here_ , Azura cut in from the bed where the young Eevee was supposed to be resting, _you're not supposed to be jumping about like that. Stay put and we'll bring you breakfast soon, alright?_

 _Okay, 'Zura! Hurry up, though, I'm hungry!_

Aurora hopped back up and snuggled herself deep into the blankets on her bed to wait for food. With a grin, Milo beckoned his other two Pokémon from the room and they went and found Amaya in the cafeteria.

"Up late, Milo?"

"Nah, just tired. We slept in Aurora's room to keep her company."

"Fair enough. What's the plan for today? We have all day to kill. Is Marcus still around?"

Milo hadn't thought of that, "Marcus? Oh, uh…to be honest I thought he was still here, but he may have gone already. Maybe", Milo grew a mischievous grin, "maybe he went back to Eterna to spend another day or two with Gardenia before heading back to Hearthome."

Amaya shook her head in disbelief, "I still can't picture two Gym Leaders dating, you know?"

Milo shrugged, "It sounds weird when you say it that way, but after all, they're people too, right?"

"I guess. Hey, since there's not really a lot of training space around, what about practicing against each other? I think there's a field out back."

"You're on."

 _Milo_ , Azura cut in, _before we battle, we promised to take food to Aurora, remember? Also, do you think she may want to watch?_

 _That's a great idea. Let's go find out!_

Milo gathered up a plate of food and made his way back, to find Aurora once again asleep. Apparently her boundless energy hadn't lasted quite as long as she had thought it might. The young Trainer quietly placed the food next to her bed so she'd see it when she woke up, and went out to see about the battle he'd promised Amaya.

True to form, she was already standing in a Trainer's box on the field, and she called to Milo the second he emerged from the Pokémon Center's back door;

"Come on, line up. What're the rules here? Straight up battle? My team against yours, substitutions allowed?"

"Fine by me", answered Milo as he hurried to his place and released both Blaze and Azura, "but you call first, since you've got the numbers advantage."

"Alright then", she smirked, "that's fair. Granite, let's do this."

With a roar, the pumped up Onix crashed onto the field.

 _Makes sense,_ thought Milo, as he took a split second to consider his options; _She went for the option that doesn't give me a clear choice based on type_. Just like that, he had a strategy.

"Azura! Let's get to work!" Mentally, he added, _She thinks she's gotten control of this battle already by forcing us into a corner. If we let her think she's right, we can flip her whenever we want. But we have to be careful not to actually give her control._

 _Got it_ , answered Azura, adopting a defensive position, _I'll dodge normally but pull my punches._

 _Good girl. Remember, it has to be convincing._

 **Amaya**

It figured that Milo hadn't chosen Blaze, who had a half type advantage. He was probably too worried that Blaze also had a half disadvantage.

"Rock Polish."

Granite coated himself in a sheen that dramatically increased his speed, though Amaya knew full well she'd never completely match Milo's Pokémon for agility. Still, closing the gap might throw off his rhythm.

"Azura", he called, "Pursuit! Get in behind!"

Amaya had seen this trick before; "Iron Tail."

It worked like a charm. Azura's Pursuit snapped her straight into the path of a full-strength Iron Tail that smashed her in the side. But she wasn't beaten yet.

"Shadow Ball!"

Amaya was surprised at how quick the attack found its mark, and by the time it did, the nimble Dark-type was off again, Quick Attacking her way all across the battlefield like a hyperactive bolt of energy.

"Granite, go for Rock Tomb."

The powerful Onix gave another roar as rocks popped out from the ground and flew towards Granite's best guess was at the best spot to trap Azura.

It looked like a hit until Milo called the one thing she hadn't considered; "Azura, STOP!"

On a dime, Azura's constant zigzagging motion came to a complete halt, and the Umbreon stood and coolly watched as the rocks intended to trap her flew harmlessly by.

"Now Dark Pulse!"

"Counter with Gyro Ball."

When the dust settled after the attacks collided, the two Pokémon stood staring at one another, signs of exertion already showing on both. With another of her trademark smirks, Amaya thought to herself,

 _Perfect. Granite's done his job. Time to bring in the closer; Coral's much better suited to deal with Azura, then I'll have a full team to knock out Blaze._

"Granite, return. Coral, let's do this."

Coral emerged majestically, her quiet intensity immediately casting its aura over the field. Undaunted, Azura settled herself into a comfortable attack position.

She could see Milo's eyes narrow in concentration.

 _Yeah, that's right_ , she thought, _I've got you in a corner now. Think your way out of this one, Milo._

"Azura, Night!"

Amaya forced herself not to react in annoyance as the familiar cloud of impenetrable darkness descended on the field. Thinking as fast as she could, she called out,

"Water Pulse, wide range."

Coral obliged wonderfully, judging by the sound from within the cloud, but the battlefield was far better suited to Milo now, and she heard him respond instantly,

"Pursuit!"

"Dragon Tail", Amaya hoped that Granite's counterattack strategy would work again. It didn't.

"Jump and use Dark Pulse!"

The black cloud dissipated in time for Amaya to see Milo's Pokémon leap gracefully over Coral's blind Dragon Tail and unleash a massive Dark Pulse that sent the Milotic skidding across the field.

 _Taking hits is okay_ , she reminded herself, _If I can land the next hit, I'm still in control. Azura can't keep going indefinitely._

"You should've kept your hiding cloud up, Milo. Coral, Ice Beam."

"Get moving, Azura. I know you've got enough to keep ahead of her."

For a time, it seemed Milo was right, but after three failed Ice Beams, Azura stopped for a breath, worn out from using Quick Attack repeatedly as a dodging mechanism.

"Now!"

This time it worked, and Azura took a massive hit from Ice Beam. Luckily for Amaya, it also froze one of her back paws to the ground.

"Shadow Ball, Azura! Full power!"

Amaya was unprepared for the massive attack that walloped Coral cleanly in her midsection. She toppled to the ground, and couldn't get up. Amaya was stunned. But she still had the advantage; she was still in control, as long as she made the next play correctly.

"Alright, Terrus, you're in. Let's do this."

The determined Grotle materialized on the field, eliciting a competitive snarl from Azura, who was still trapped by the ice.

"Azura, Dark Pulse!"

"Use Energy Ball."

She knew she should've dodged, but taking the Dark Pulse was a calculated risk that allowed her to get a hit in. Both attacks landed, and when everything settled, Terrus was definitely feeling the effects of Azura's trademark move, but the Umbreon herself was unquestionably down for the count.

Rather than returning her to her Pokéball, Milo walked out himself and carried her gently to the ground next to his Trainer's box.

"Blaze, it's your turn to close it out! No more holding back, let's get-"

"Milo! Milo?"

Both Trainers turned to see Nurse Joy jogging out to their field, carrying Milo's Eevee in her arms.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but this Eevee was causing a racket and wouldn't settle down until I told it I would bring it to you. Would you please take her? Thank you! Again, I'm sorry to interrupt."

She went back inside to return to her duties, and Amaya waited, somewhat impatiently, as Milo held what seemed to be a brief staring contest with the Eevee before she gave a happy little squeal and jumped to the ground next to the awake but exhausted Azura.

As she waited, Amaya reconsidered Milo's instructions to Blaze;

 _What did he mean by 'no more holding back'? Why would he hold back?_

She was out of time, though, as Milo again grabbed Blaze's ball and yelled,

"Time to really show our stuff, Blaze! Let's get to work!"

"Ferrrr-nooo!"

Blaze was more than ready to battle, and Amaya was pleased to see Terrus dig in a little harder at seeing his childhood rival as his opponent once again.

"Energy Ball, Terrus."

"Dodge!"

Blaze dodged the attack easily, rolling underneath it cheekily as Milo called out,

"Straight into Blaze Kick!"

Terrus couldn't move fast enough, and took Blaze Kick head on, his second powerful direct hit. A flutter of worry crossed Amaya's mind, until she reminded herself;

 _I still have this. Terrus will probably go down, but Granite can finish off Blaze, I'm sure. He didn't take that many hits from Azura, he's still more or less fresh. I just need to land something on Blaze to make double sure._

"Now he's in close, use Crunch."

"Nice try, Amaya! Low Kick!"

Ducking once again, Blaze swept a leg viciously underneath Terrus, overturning the Grove Pokémon as well as dealing damage.

"How many Fire Punches can you land, bud?"

The answer was three. That was all it took until Terrus was unconscious. Grimacing, Amaya at last realized what Milo had done. He had played her like a fiddle. She'd thought she was in control, but now a completely fresh Blaze would go up against a tired Granite with a plethora of fighting moves. He'd totally turned the tables on her without her noticing!

"Alright, Granite, let's do this."

The Rock Snake Pokémon reemerged and Amaya wasted no time in trying to head off Milo's inevitable barrage of kicks and punches;

"Rock Tomb, go."

"Double Team, Blaze, and use Mach Punch!"

To Amaya's chagrin, Mach Punch landed perfectly, as the real Blaze slipped easily past Granite's very confused Rock Tomb, which succeeded only in burying one or two of a dozen copies of Blaze that flickered all over the field.

"Now Brick Break!"

"Iron Tail, Rock Throw, do something to get him away!"

Amaya's inscrutable exterior was breaking as she watched her best chance at beating Milo slip away like all the rest.

Sure enough, Brick Break landed and Granite was on his last legs. He'd sustained damage from Azura earlier and had now compounded that with two direct super-effective hits from Blaze.

"Slam, Granite!"

"Blaze, jump!"

Blaze got out of the way just in time, as the mighty Granite slammed himself down onto the ground in a failed attempt to take his opponent down with him. It seemed, embarrassingly, that in the process he had knocked himself out. Unceremoniously, the morning's practice battle went to Milo.

"Tch", Amaya kicked at nothing in particular, frustrated with herself, "how the hell did you plan that all out from the beginning?"

"I knew you thought you had it in the bag", he shrugged, "all I had to do was keep you thinking you were right. I told Azura to pull her punches and she managed to tire out two of your Pokémon and knock one out before you caught on. It was a gamble, though; if you would have caught on sooner I'd have been toast."

"Yeah, whatever. I'm going to heal up and check on Leon."

 **Milo**

Amaya trumped sorely back inside. Milo smiled to himself as she left, knowing she would only be driven to new heights by this.

"Hey", he called to his victorious Monferno, "great job, Blaze! You worked the plan to perfection! You're looking like a pro out there!"

 _I can't believe Terrus went down so easy! He just wasn't ready for my speed._

 _Well_ , Milo teased, _aren't we confident in ourselves. How well do you think you could do against me, then? Come on, let's go!_

 _Are you sure that's wise?_ Azura cut in, _I'm worried that you'll overexert yourself. Aren't you still sore from that Gengar last night?_

 _Oh I've got plenty left to kick Blaze's butt!_

Just like that, Milo and his Monferno partner squared off in the middle of the field. Blaze moved in first with an attempted Mach Punch. Milo was fast enough to duck left and swing a Dark-charged punch to Blaze's gut. Unfortunately, he realized just too late that Blaze's leg was swinging, and before he knew it he landed hard on the ground.

"Are you fighting your own Pokémon, Milo?"

Amaya was back, and she seemed to have calmed down.

As Pokémon and Trainer alike continued trading fast blows, Amaya sat down amusedly next to the still-tired Azura and Aurora, who was once again jumping about, rather enjoying the fight between two of her new family.

"This actually ought to be good. Kick his butt, Blaze!"

Milo was about to make a witty response until he had to hop back awkwardly as Blaze's left foot missed his chest by mere centimeters. He had to continue retreating as Blaze pressed his advantage. Finally, after one particularly neat dodge roll, he got in a leg sweep of his own and landed one or two punches before Blaze kicked back up powerfully and slammed him hard, square in the ribcage.

"Alright", wheezed Milo from the ground, not getting up, "you win, buddy. You got me. Good match, Blaze, you're definitely improving. But I'll get you next time."

 _I don't think so,_ Blaze responded, _but you're welcome to another beating whenever you want._

"Alright", Milo said to the group at large as Blaze helped him to his feet, "I'm about ready for lunch, how about you guys?"

 _Yay, more food!_ Aurora bounded happily up to Milo and he picked her up as they all headed back toward the cafeteria.

During lunch, Milo got up and said, "I'm going to go check on the Egg. It's definitely close to hatching; I just want to see how it's doing."

He opened the door to his room and saw to his surprise that it was no longer in its protective bundle of blankets, but was rolling jerkily across the floor! He rushed to pick it up, and then called out to his Pokémon mentally,

 _GUYS, IT'S HATCHING! Come on, get in here, hurry!_

He set the Egg on the bed and watched transfixed as it shuddered. Azura, Blaze, and even Aurora came charging in moments later and they all gathered around, wide-eyed.

Now a crack appeared in the shell. Seconds later a piece came flying out just past Milo's ear.

Amaya walked in, standing behind to observe, and now another piece popped off.

Finally, at long last, Milo's precious Egg cracked in half and fell apart…to reveal a beautiful baby Riolu.

"Hi", Milo whispered, his whole face glowing with pure joy, "Hi there! I'm Milo!"

 _It's a girl_ , Azura said softly, _what will her name be?_

"Name? She'll be…Ferra. Right, Ferra? Welcome to the team!"

The newborn Pokémon barked happily and stood up, smiling at Milo.

The young Trainer could hardly breathe at the miracle standing before him. He reached down carefully and picked up the tiny Riolu, who responded by enthusiastically jumping into his arms, and rubbing her head on his chest.

 _Azura, what's she doing?_

 _She thinks you're her parent. She's learning your scent, your feel, your look, everything she can._

Milo hardly dared to breathe, he was so thoroughly overwhelmed.

 _Would you like to speak to her?_ Azura asked gently.

 _Can she even talk?_

 _Young Pokémon learn fast. I'll show you._

Azura put her face close to Ferra and spoke softly to her, out loud. Ferra looked a bit confused, but then turned to stare expectantly at Milo, who took a deep breath before introducing himself properly,

 _Hey there, Ferra! I'm Milo, your Trainer!_

Overjoyed, Ferra pressed herself as close as possible to Milo, _Hi Milo! I love you!_

Milo felt a tear run down his face, as Aurora and Blaze introduced themselves as well. Ferra greeted them all with the same joyful smile, and all present shared a chuckle when Aurora said to the new team member;

 _You're so little! The world says hi!_

 _Thanks, Roro! You're little too, like me!_

Even Amaya, after some convincing, stepped forward to introduce herself, though she cited the limited space as reason not to pull out her own Pokémon to meet the new arrival.

"Speaking of which, Milo, I think we could head back out to the field for more training. You can bring Ferra and Aurora to watch."

"I like that plan", Milo answered before consulting his Pokémon.

Azura and Blaze were excited as ever to get back to training, and Aurora was content to hang out with Milo and her new team no matter what was going on. It was Ferra's response that most surprised Milo. She was deeply, genuinely excited, even awed, at the prospect of training, once it was explained to her. As an added bonus, Amaya went and checked on Leon, who it turned out was also ready to watch the training session, if not fully participate.

Once they arrived back at the training field, Amaya brought out her team, inspiring much awe from Ferra, who couldn't believe that there were Pokémon as large as Granite and Coral. As Amaya fell to her usual routine of improving her Pokémon's power, Milo lined up alongside Blaze and Azura for a sprinting drill. He heard a bark on his left, and saw Ferra toeing the line herself, a determined look in her eye.

 _Well,_ Milo thought to himself, _no time like the present to start training, right?_

For the next few hours, then, both Trainers drilled their Pokémon with the utmost rigor and dedication. Ferra, it seemed, loved nothing more than to join in whenever she felt she could, though Milo stopped short of allowing her to spar.

When they were all satisfactorily worn out, Milo and Ferra included, they went gratefully back inside for a big dinner. Ferra and Aurora were already fitting in splendidly with the team, and now the time had come to look onward.

So much had happened in the last couple days, Milo could hardly believe it. Believe it or not, though, he was now the proud Trainer of four Pokémon. The next morning they were planning to leave for Eterna, and hopefully win their second Gym badge. Along the way, Milo thought, perhaps even Aurora and Ferra might start seriously training, so that before too long they could take part in real battles, just like Azura and Blaze. The general air of excitement and anticipation made it hard for the young man to fall asleep that night. Yet again, he knew, he was on the verge of a very big day.

 **Chapter 9 Thoughts: You lucky readers, you. You got Milo's first Order of Shadows mission** _ **and**_ **a battle between our two main characters. As always, I'm dying to know your thoughts (pretty please)! I obviously don't own Pokémon, just my OC's.**

 **If you like it, keep reading, and feel free to follow/favorite. That way you can keep up to date with Milo and other people will be more likely to find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!**


	10. Chapter 10 - Proof of Concept

Milo Chapter 10 – Proof of Concept

"Well", said Milo, "there it is. Eterna Forest. Ready, gang?"

Milo's Pokémon were raring to go, always eager for the latest adventure. Amaya was feeling good about it as well, though she hid it under her typical gruff exterior.

What the team hadn't expected was the darkness. Obviously the tree cover filtered out some of the light, but it took a few seconds of standing in the entrance blinking stupidly before Milo's eyes adjusted to the shady environment. The large amounts of vegetation muffled all sounds, creating a close, hushed feel that suited the bug type inhabitants perfectly.

Milo had his whole team out, Ferra included (he carried her when she needed a nap, which was still quite frequent) and Aurora found the whole experience terribly exciting.

 _Are you gonna catch another friend, Milo?_

The young Trainer grinned, _Who knows, Aurora? Would you like another friend on the team?_

 _Yay, yes yes yes! More friends, more fun!_

The energetic young Eevee bounded around, and Milo had a hard time reminding himself that she'd been bedridden only days ago.

-o-

Amaya was the designated map-reader. She had assigned herself this task, as she had technically bought the map and thus defiantly claimed total ownership of it. In truth, the Eterna Forest map had cost all of $2 at the store, and Milo had been sorely tempted to buy his own map just to spite her.

"Are you sure this is the way? It seems like we're heading too far to the West side of the Forest. Eterna is northeast."

"Hey", barked the Twinleaf native, "I'm the map person here, _not_ you, Jubilife boy. Alright?"

"Geez, okay, I'm just saying… Look, there's literally a path that goes northeast _right there_. Let me see that map, Amaya."

They'd been travelling for a couple hours now, and the humidity was making them both slightly irritable. Aurora was the only truly cheerful one left in the group, as Azura and Blaze had long since retreated into silence to avoid the sparks flying between the two Trainers. Ferra was once again napping in Milo's safe arms.

"Quit back-seat mapping, Milo. You want to battle me for my map? Let's go, right now."

"Ugh, no, Amaya. I'm not battling you for a stupid map. Can I please just-"

 _Milo!_ Aurora's small cry made him stop and turn to find his new team member staring wistfully at something she'd found a ways off into the forest.

 _Milo, it's so…pretty…Come see it._

"Hang on, Amaya", he said offhandedly, "I'm going to go check something out really quick. Aurora says she found something interesting."

"Pfft. Probably just a colorful leaf, but whatever. Let's go."

Milo caught up to where the young Evolution Pokémon was awaiting him. There appeared to be a small opening between the two paths they had been debating. This opening led to a small, well-concealed grove. This grove had a stone in the center of it which was covered in light green moss, and gave off a faint, warm glow.

After a few seconds, Milo's memory triggered, and her recalled learning about this in class;

"That's a Mossy Stone, isn't it?"

"A what, now?" Amaya evidently hadn't covered the particulars of the Eevee chain.

"Basically", Milo explained as succinctly as he could, "if an Eevee touches that stone it will become a Leafeon on the spot."

Unusually somber, Aurora stepped forwards and asked her Trainer,

 _Do…you want me to touch it?_

Milo blinked in surprise at her offer, and responded, _Why are you asking me? Do you want to be a Leafeon?_

Head down, Aurora said quietly, her youthful voice echoing in Milo's mind, _My momma had a Trainer once. They decided she wasn't strong enough and released her. She always told me that most humans were nice, but if an Eevee got a Trainer they would make them evolve as soon as possible into whatever the Trainer chose._

 _Aurora_ , Milo knelt down in front of her, and her beautiful brown eyes stared innocently and deeply into his own, _I don't just want you to evolve. If you want to evolve, it should be your choice, not mine. Even if you never want to evolve, that's okay. You're on my team now, and you're my partner – my friend. Okay? You don't have to be Leafeon if you don't want to._

 _You – you mean I get to choose?_

The little Eevee could hardly believe it. She'd resigned herself to the inevitable forced evolution, but now she was being given free reign…She had control over her own future, even though she had a Trainer. It was a truly foreign concept that overwhelmed her.

 _Yes_ , confirmed Milo with a gentle smile, _You get to choose. Even if you never choose and stay an Eevee forever, that's okay too._

Tears streamed from Aurora's eyes as she jumped into Milo's chest. Still holding a sleeping Ferra in one arm, he embraced his small Eevee with the other, petting the back of her head softly and allowing the emotional moment to run its due course.

Eventually, the warm, fuzzy feelings subsided as gracefully as they'd emerged. Milo stood and put Aurora down before turning to Amaya, who was turning a Pokéball absentmindedly in her hand. He admired her restraint, he'd expected her to demand they move on a while ago. Then again, he realized, she had plenty to think about as well.

He glanced down at Leon, who Amaya had quietly released. The little Shinx was looking blandly at the unfolding scene, tail swishing, unaware of the pride with which his new Trainer stared down at him.

"Okay", began Milo with a deep breath, "are we ready to move on?"

"Let's do it", answered the Twinleaf Trainer.

As the group once more consulted the map and moved off (this time in what Milo ascertained to be the right direction) Leon was quickly learning to enjoy his newfound freedom. Milo noted with some amusement that Aurora's demeanor changed ever so slightly around this new companion. She was ever so slightly more reserved, almost demure…at least at first.

Leon quickly recognized the young Eevee he had protected on the route from Floaroma, and began to bother and torment her just like a young human boy seeking attention from a 'young lady'. She responded in kind, of course, chasing after him and showing just the right amount of attitude without becoming truly upset.

 _Children_ , commented Azura in Milo's mind, _they play the game without even knowing it._

After another hour or so, the whole party arrived, happy but tired, at the gates of Eterna city. It was now early evening, so Milo and Amaya found a small local diner to eat at. They afforded themselves a round of dessert to celebrate making it through the often-daunting Eterna Forest.

"Sure you don't want an evening training battle, Milo?"

"For the last time, Amaya, no. I'm too tired. Let's just get to the Pokémon Center and check into our rooms."

"Psh, spoilsport", came the sharp retort. Luckily for Milo, she was also tired, and broke off in the direction of the Center. They were halfway there when a voice stopped them, calling from behind;

"Now, what oh what could bring two young Trainers all the way up here to the fair city of Eterna? I wonder…"

Milo recognized the voice instantly, and turned with a smile,

"Gardenia! Hi there. I should've expected you to find us before we found you. Is Marcus here?"

With a mischievous wink, Gardenia confirmed the young man's suspicions, "Oh he certainly _was_ , but you just missed him. I'm sure if you ask him he'll deny it, though. He's in trouble, after all."

"Trouble?" Amaya cut in, curious as ever, "What kind of trouble?"

Alas, Gardenia was much too clever to let her mouth run. She gracefully changed the subject, "Ah, this must be Amaya. I certainly feel that vibe Roark mentioned, I can almost taste your power."

By now the young Leader had caught up to the two friends, and she dropped her voice, saying, "You two should come with me if you value your privacy. The local news caught wind of you leaving Floaroma and they've been pretty much camped outside the Center ever since. Nurse Joy is beside herself with frustration, they keep asking every five minutes if you two have checked in yet."

It really said something about the difference between Milo and Amaya that the Twinleaf native found this uproariously funny while Milo blanched with apprehension and nerves.

"That's rich. I guess it only takes one badge to get your name out there these days, huh?"

"Seems that way", agreed Gardenia, "but if you'd rather stay incognito for the time being, I have some guest rooms in the Gym that you're both more than welcome to use."

Milo nodded vehemently, he was only too eager to remain outside the spotlight, but Amaya actually declined the offer, saying,

"I think I'll go give them what they want. Could be fun to watch them fawn. Catch you at the Gym tomorrow, Milo."

Milo could hardly believe it, but off she went. As he and Gardenia turned to take the back roads to the Gym, he was shocked that the reclusive Amaya, who only interacted with people when she truly had to, would be the first one to eagerly seek out media attention. He voiced his concerns to Gardenia, who had an answer based on pure experience,

"I've seen it before. She wants the media because, to her, that's part of reaching the top. It's probably got nothing to do with the actual media themselves, it's not vanity. She just wants to feel what it is for them to want to _see her_. Trust me; we small town girls with big ambitions understand one another."

Milo's curiosity was peaked, "So that's your story then, too?"

As they reached the Gym, Gardenia looked surreptitiously about before opening up a small side door and ushering Milo inside. She seemed to relax a bit more once they were safely within her Grass-type cathedral, and she answered Milo's question with a sigh,

"More or less, yeah. Ah, but you don't want to hear my story. It's too long and complicated. Take a seat, stay a while."

Milo accepted the seat; they were in a lounge area, presumably the one where Gardenia staged her many required TV interviews and such. Thoroughly intrigued, Milo prodded her a bit, looking for more to the story,

"Come on", he grinned, "You're dating my brother. Surely that earns me a little bit of the story at least? Please?"

She picked up her head sharply at that, and an uncontrollable girlish smile spread unbidden across her face, along with a flush in her cheeks;

"Oh, so…so Marcus told you about, you know… us?

Trying to control his mirth at seeing one of Sinnoh's most renowned Gym Leaders looking like a schoolgirl with a crush, Milo answered with his typical cheekiness, "He didn't tell me, but he got all prickly when I asked about it, which is pretty much the same thing. What?"

"Oh, nothing…it's just that he only recently asked me out is all. We'd both known for a while but… he was so sweet about it, and everything, just like a gentleman. That's why he was in trouble, actually. We had a bet that if my Roserade beat Absol he had to ask me out publicly. He won, so I agreed to keep it on the down low. For the time being, though, I'm pretending to be upset about it, just to mess with him."

Milo snorted, and with dry wit responded, "Figures Marcus would wait forever to actually ask. But hey, don't change the subject. What's this story you aren't going to tell me?"

"Well…alright. But you have to promise you'll keep it to yourself, okay?"

She leaned in, and Milo could see how much she enjoyed talking as equals. It must be a refreshing change, he reasoned, to be able to drop the persona of control and authority of a Leader even briefly.

"The reason I understand Amaya as well as I think I do is because I come from a small town, too, back in Kalos."

"Wait", Milo interrupted, "so how did you get to be a Sinnoh Leader?"

 _Hush, I'm listening_ , Azura jumped in unexpectedly, eliciting an eye roll from her Trainer as Gardenia continued,

"Heh, I guess that's a fair question. Truth is I got out of Kalos as fast as I could. Being the youngest of three sisters _and_ feeling trapped in a tiny town was more than I could handle. As soon as I could get a Trainer license and had some experience I hopped on a plane to Sinnoh."

She was looking off into the distance, her words stirring the memories as her seemingly eternal smile faltered for the first time.

"I…didn't know you had siblings, either", Milo was still curious, but was also reluctant to bring up bad memories of the past.

"Hmm? Oh", Gardenia snapped out of her reminiscence, "yeah. You may have heard of my sisters, as it happens. One of them is a Leader over there. Viola is the Bug-type Leader of Santalune. I guess that kind of talent runs in the family. My other sister, Alexa, is a journalist out of Lumiose City. She's been quite successful ever since she got exclusive rights to cover Ash Ketchum's Kalos Gym challenge years ago."

"No way", Milo was incredulous, "I knew the two of them were related, but I never dreamed they had anything to do with you! Why is that a secret?"

A dark chuckle preceded the Grass-type Master's answer, "That was _their_ choice. I've merely come to terms with it. I was always the black sheep of the family. Both of our parents were artists, so the other two were praised beyond measure for taking up photography and journalism. They were 'following their creative drive', don't you know. I was different."

"But you have a creative drive too! I mean, I've seen your flower exhibitions, they're some of Sinnoh's best, year after year."

"Yeah, if only I'd been able to prove that as a kid. Instead, I just left. Budew and I went to go tackle the world, to prove that small-town Gardenia was bigger than her roots."

She sat back and laughed, rather harshly, saying, "I still remember how upset and bitter they were when I was the first to be a Gym Leader. Even Viola was just getting into the serious battling scene at that point. That was when they decided they didn't want our relationship in the public sphere. After all, it would be 'too difficult to maintain appearances across regions' or something like that."

"Geez, that's awful, I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it. It's not as bad as it sounds; we're at least on speaking terms. They're not bad people. Nobody's perfect, after all, and I don't hold it against them. Every family has drama."

"I guess… I'm pretty lucky, Marcus has always been great to me… and Myrian is still too young to be thinking about Training. She has to get through elementary school first. Last time I saw her, though, she told me she wanted to be just like Serena Ketchum when she grew up."

The young Trainer smiled to himself. He didn't talk much about his younger sister, but he loved her very dearly. She had the same driving, relentless sense of purpose that had always propelled himself and Marcus.

"Well, who knows", Gardenia commented, "maybe you'll have two great Trainers and a famous Performer in the family someday. I've only met Myrian once, when she came with your parents to visit Marcus, but she's got the same flare as the two of you and I'll bet she's got some of that natural talent as well."

A soft ringing drew the Leader's attention, and she checked what appeared to be a text message, before moving to turn on the lounge television, saying,

"Seems like they're airing your friend's interview. Want to see?"

"Sure", Milo smiled.

 _Well_ , thought Azura in his mind, _this ought to be interesting._

Milo released the rest of his team to watch the broadcast. Sure enough, there was Amaya, standing in front of the Pokémon Center, looking as broody and standoffish as ever. Only Milo, who knew her well enough by now, could see just a hint of the smug self-satisfaction and confidence (not arrogance, _big_ difference) that confirmed Gardenia's suspicions.

 _Papa_ , came Ferra's small voice, _Why is Aunt Maya on the screen?_

He started. Papa? It was only natural, since he was the one raising her, but it sounded so strange in his head…still, he didn't bother correcting the baby Pokémon, opting instead to simply answer the question,

 _Some news people are going to ask her questions. They want to know about her because she's very strong._

 _Being strong makes people ask you questions?_

 _No_ , Aurora cut in whimsically, _but it makes them want to know who you are. The stronger you are the more famous you get! That's why Leon's gonna be famous. He'll be a big strong Luxray someday._

 _Oh…_ Ferra was duly impressed, _I want to be strong too. Can I be strong, Papa?_

Laughing to himself, Milo encouraged his youngest team member, _Of course, Ferra. Being strong takes a lot of work, though. You have to train a whole lot. Just ask Blaze. He's strong._

On screen, Amaya was making a big show of hiding her plan for beating Gardenia, "I'll definitely be able to whip through her Gym team, but I can't reveal how. I promise it'll be quite a spectacle, be there tomorrow to watch it go down! Huh? No, I absolutely won't discuss my tactics right now…"

Milo winked at Blaze, who turned from the interview to reassure Ferra, _Eh? Oh, yeah, I trained super hard to get really fast. That's why I'm not a Chimchar anymore. You can evolve too, when you get a lot stronger. The trick is to listen to what Milo tells you, he's a good Trainer. He'll help you._

 _Okay_ , Ferra's face shone with childish excitement, _What do I do first, Papa? What do I do what do I do what do I do? I want to be the strongest ever!_

Gardenia noticed what was happening between Milo and his team and asked incredulously, "Milo…are you talking to your Pokémon? All of them?"

"Oh", Milo was a bit embarrassed, "Um, yeah. That's uh, a trick I picked up a while back."

"You really are just like Marcus", winked the Leader of Eterna, "He does the same thing, and he gets really self-conscious about it too. That's a truly amazing gift."

"Thanks, I guess", answered Milo, before turning back to Ferra, who was still watching her Trainer eagerly. In the end, both Aurora and Ferra demanded a training session right then and there, so Milo set them to running back and forth across the lounge as many times as they could in a row. He jogged alongside them, encouraging them, until he heard his name from the television screen.

One of the many reporters was asking, "…Milo still travelling together? Can you comment on his whereabouts?"

"Oh he's around here somewhere", answered Amaya with a shrug, "but he's a bit camera shy, so you get just me instead."

"How would you compare your strength and ability to Milo's right now?"

Milo smirked to himself as Amaya tensed up ever so slightly, bristling at the question that touched on her only failure, "Truthfully", she forced the words out, "I travel with Milo because he's the only one I've found who can consistently beat me. I travel with him to learn how he does what he does, and that's made me stronger as well."

"How would you rate Milo's chances against Gardenia tomorrow?"

"He'll have no issues, he's got Blaze. I mean, a Monferno that can outrun pretty much anything will flatten a Gym team of all Grass types."

Blaze puffed his chest out proudly at meriting a shout-out on the news, and Milo cast a nervous glance towards the Grass-type Leader in question.

Grinning slightly mischievously, Gardenia stood and said, "Well, I think I'm going to turn in for the night. Seems I'm faced with the impossible task of finding a way through your invincible Monferno tomorrow. No doubt you've got some strategizing to do as well. Good night, and thanks for talking."

"Good night", Milo responded.

He'd already located his guest room, down an adjacent hallway from the lounge and on the left. Not much further down was a small training space, which Milo assumed he was allowed to use. He moved his team there and improvised a more thorough training session for his two newest Pokémon. Neither Aurora nor Ferra would be fighting tomorrow, but maybe, just maybe, with a lot of work, they'd be able to help him fight Maylene, assuming he could get past Gardenia tomorrow.

True to his usual style, he trained himself alongside his team, and the results were fairly surprising. Young Pokémon, he found, were shockingly quick learners. In the hour and a half that they worked, Aurora learned to use Shadow Ball and Protect, along with Tackle and Quick Attack, which she knew naturally.

Ferra managed to master Force Palm and Quick Attack, and Blaze began instructing her on his Blaze Kick technique. Milo was pleased to see that both of his young protégés also made large strides in both power and speed. He taught them to dodge the same way he'd taught Azura and Blaze back in Twinleaf, and by the time they finished he was much more optimistic about their chances at helping win a Badge from Maylene.

Once training was over, Milo cleaned himself off before settling himself into his guest room in the wonderfully quiet Eterna Gym.

As usual, Milo's Pokémon served as his alarm clock the next morning. This time, it was Blaze's turn to do the honors; he stood over his Trainer, paused, and punched him unceremoniously in the chest.

"HNGH! What the…Blaze, seriously man?"

Jumping off the bed, the Monferno told him mentally, _Oh get over it, you've pulled through much worse. Besides, it did the trick pretty nicely, and your face was pretty funny. C'mon, we all want to hear the plan for the Gym battle!_

Still recovering his breath, Milo gave his head a shake before pulling himself up to get dressed. After hurriedly assembling himself, he emerged groggily into the lounge to find his Pokémon all sitting around a coffee table as if they were holding some kind of official conference meeting. Even Ferra and Aurora were there, looking all business as they held some type of very serious discussion in hushed tones. When they saw him, they stopped, and Blaze waved him over, saying,

 _Hurry, Milo, we want to show you what we've been planning!_

 _This ought to be good_ , Milo thought to himself. Curious, he made his way to their table and sat down. It seemed they'd found themselves some snacks to serve as a passable breakfast, and left him two granola bars. He munched absentmindedly on one of them, as Azura launched enthusiastically into an elaborate scheme of some kind;

 _So, here it is, Milo. We know Gardenia will use Grass-types, but she's also a Gym Leader, so she'll expect us to count on Blaze, like Amaya said in her interview, and she'll have a counter for him. If it were me, I'd plan on poisoning Blaze to force you to switch him._

Milo nodded, giving his approval, _I'm impressed, you guys. What do you propose we do to work around that?_

Aurora jumped onto her Trainer's lap and answered as best she could, _You gotta use NOT Blaze! Start with 'Zura instead, so she'll be tricked and we can win! Yay, winning!_

Milo laughed aloud, and complimented his team's brainstorm session, _I think this plan would probably work, you guys, and until last night it was my plan, too._

Azura's face fell, as she inferred that somehow they had missed something. _What's the new plan, Milo? We were just trying to think like you, what did we miss?_

 _You guys came really close, but I'm going to carry your logic one step further. If Gardenia is smart enough to counter Blaze, she'll be smart enough to anticipate our strategy. She'll probably guess that we want to trick her by leading with Azura._

 _Wait, so…_ Blaze was struggling to put the pieces together, _how do we trick her if she already knows our trick?_

 _It's a two part solution. There's a simple part and a tricky part_ , Milo smiled, _At first, we don't use the trick. We lead with Blaze just like everyone else expects us to. Gardenia fights with three Pokémon for the Gym challenge, so we'll use Blaze for the first one._

 _Wait_ , said little Ferra, _I bet I know part two._

Milo blinked in surprise, but decided to humor the least experienced member of his team, and politely listened.

 _Once she sees our not-trick, she'll switch to her normal plan. Then we switch back to the trick…right? So, use Auntie 'Zura for number two. Then go back to part one, and use Blaze for number three. We can do a triple trick!_

How…? How could a baby Riolu be _so_ intuitive? Milo was thrown completely for a loop, as was the rest of the team. Ferra sat and smiled innocently, reasonably pleased with her guess, while Milo and his other three Pokémon stared, open-mouthed.

 _Yeah…that's, uh, exactly what I had in mind. Good job, Ferra…how did you guess that?_

 _I know you, Papa!_ The carefree little Pokémon climbed up onto Milo's chest to stare brightly into his eyes, _You love tricks when you battle!_

 _Well_ , Milo was finally recovering from the mental shock of having his entire strategy figured out by a Pokémon that was only days old, _Uh, yeah, that's the plan. Blaze is in first. When Gardenia tries to switch to her backup plan to counter Fire-types, we pull Azura. My guess is she'll use a Roserade to try and incapacitate Blaze, but Azura can deal with that just fine. When that's done, we switch back to Blaze for Pokémon number three, and this should go fairly smoothly._

Aurora's contribution was somewhat less profound, as she bounded up onto the table and began jumping in a circle;

 _Yay! Winning is fun! Go team, planning is fun!_

Milo returned his team and went to find Gardenia on the main training floor, a massive greenhouse-like space lined with trees, bushes, and various forms of vegetation. She was quite carefully trimming some of the flowers with the help of a Budew when Milo approached.

"There you are", she said, "I was afraid I'd have to push your time back. You're on in a half hour if that's alright."

"You…already scheduled me?"

The Leader smiled and shrugged, "I hope you don't mind…"

"No, that's fine, I guess. When is Amaya's fight?"

Gardenia consulted her Pokétch before saying, "Looks like she's on an hour after you."

Milo spent his remaining half hour getting his team warmed up. He took a stroll around the Gym challenge arena, a standard field with taller grass than normal and twenty yards of dense tree cover on every side. Sure enough, about fifteen minutes before the battle, reporters and Eterna citizens came flooding into the arena. Milo stood in his entry hallway in one corner of the arena, watching the stands fill slowly, when something hit his arm.

"Ow, what the…", he turned to see Amaya standing in front of him, wearing a satisfied grin.

"Why does everyone feel the need to punch me to get my attention today?"

"Ah, quit your grumbling", she answered, "I'm here to wish you luck. Let's go 2 for 2, huh?"

"Let's do it. Alright, looks like I'm on."

Sure enough, they heard the PA system in the arena crackle to life. The modest crowd of a couple hundred people clapped appreciatively as the announcer intoned,

"Ladies and gentlemen, our gracious Leader, the lovely Gardenia, has accepted two challenges today! The first challenge is from…Milo, of Jubilife City! Let's show him a warm Eterna welcome!"

The crowd certainly obliged, whooping and hollering good-naturedly as he strode to his place in the Trainer's box. He'd been worried about getting stage fright, with people gathering just to watch him battle, but he was surprised to find his mind completely focused in, more clear than ever.

 _Nothing like a good battle to take your mind off of literally everything else_ , he reasoned.

Gardenia stood ready across from him, game face on, Pokéball already in hand. Once Milo was in position, she nodded to the referee, who breezed through the rules.

"For this Gym battle between the Leader Gardenia and the challenger Milo, each side is allowed three Pokémon. Only the challenger may substitute, and the first to run out of Pokémon will lose the battle. Understood? Good. Battle, begin!"

As the crowd cheered, Gardenia called across the field, "I spent a long time figuring you out, Milo. I think I've got you pegged! Go, Turtwig!"

"You figured me perfectly, Gardenia", responded the young Trainer, "and that's what I was counting on! Blaze, let's get to work!"

As Milo's Fire starter took the field, he was pleased to see Gardenia's face scrunch up in momentary confusion and disbelief. All that the crowd saw was Milo making the logical choice, using a Fire type against a Grass Gym, but he knew he'd already won the mind battle. Gardenia was already behind.

"Get moving, Blaze. Quick Attack, and be indirect."

Blaze complied instantly, using Quick Attack to propel himself around the battlefield.

"Speed won't help you now. Grass Knot!"

"Jump, now!"

Thankfully, Blaze's reaction speed was as fast as Milo's. He jumped in the nick of time, right over a ball of grass that swung viciously underneath him.

"Blaze Kick down."

"Withdraw!" Gardenia's Pokémon skillfully pulled into its shell, mitigating the damage as Blaze came flying down on top of it with a fiery leg. It still took some damage though, and winced as it reemerged. Gardenia acted quickly, trying to reclaim control of the battle,

"Razor Leaf, then move, Turtwig!"

"Using Razor Leaf as cover? Alright, Blaze, use Flame Wheel and be ready to adjust course!"

As Milo expected, Turtwig just wasn't fast enough, and took the Flame Wheel as a direct hit. It flew backwards with a startled "Twiiiiig" before smashing into one of the trees. It struggled to pick itself up, but then collapsed.

"Turtwig is unable to battle, Monferno wins the round!"

The crowd gave a surprised and impressed "WHOA!" and showed Milo their approval with a loud round of sincere applause.

"Hmm", Gardenia thought aloud, "You're clever, Milo, but I've dealt with Fire before. I'll show you how – Roserade, you're up next!"

Milo did a quick mental check, observing the Roserade's size and petal color. With a small sigh of relief, he concluded that this was not _The_ Roserade, the one that made Gardenia such a threat at the elite tournaments. There had been little chance she'd actually use _that_ Roserade, but he had to be sure. Confidence renewed, he implemented phase two of his plan;

"Blaze, return!"

A gasp arose from the crowd, and Gardenia's eyes narrowed, her mind working furiously to unravel Milo's plan. No matter what she figured out, she couldn't switch out Roserade now, so Milo again had the upper hand before the battling even started.

"Azura, let's get to work!"

With a slightly frustrated huff, Gardenia set aside her wonderings and sprang into the battle at hand;

"Stun Spore, Roserade!"

As the Bouquet Pokémon spread spores in Azura's direction, Milo launched his counter strategy;

"Night, then dodge!"

Azura's blue stripes glowed fiercely before producing an explosion of darkness that covered the field. Using Night as cover, the crafty Umbreon easily avoided the Stun Spore. Gardenia was clever enough to think on the fly, and she soon worked out an effective counter to Azura's disguise.

"Hiding can't protect you from Magical Leaf! Go!"

 _Ah crap_ , thought Milo, _Azura, dodge if you can…_

Magical Leaf couldn't miss, though, and after a couple seconds the stream of sharp leaves hit their target, forcing Azura backwards with a grimace.

 _That really stung, Milo. This thing is smart and packs a punch._

 _I know, I know, just…trust me. I'm thinking._

Seeing that Milo was temporarily at a loss, Gardenia pressed her opportunity;

"Again, Roserade! Magical Leaf!"

Milo's brain hit overdrive as he frantically searched for a way to beat this…but how could he dodge something that couldn't miss? Unless…

"Azura, Pursuit!"

Azura understood instantly, and jumped into nothingness, only to reappear behind the unsuspecting Roserade, smacking it forward with considerable force. It sprang up, ready to counter, but then its own Magical Leaf, trying to hit Azura, smashed into its back, forcing it down again.

"Confusion!"

The super-effective Psychic blast drew a cry from Roserade. As Azura let her Night cover disperse, the crowd saw Roserade struggling to its feet, still determined to continue. Milo had other plans.

"Wrap it up, Azura. Dark Pulse."

Azura's signature (and strongest) move slammed Roserade hard, sending it crashing through the trees behind Gardenia. There was no question of the result once the dust cleared.

"Roserade is unable to battle, Umbreon wins the round!"

"One Pokémon left for me", said Gardenia, as the crowd rose to its feet at Milo's display of battling genius, "let's make this a fun finale. Cherubi, you're on!"

"Azura, return! Blaze, you're back in!"

Blaze allowed himself a small plume of fire as he burst eagerly back onto the field. Gardenia was never going to just lie down, though, and had a knee-jerk plan ready to go;

"Leech Seed! Growth!"

Cherubi was equally ready, and hit Blaze with the little seeds before he could get out of the way. He stumbled in the grass as they began sapping his energy, and the resourceful Cherubi used the pause to initiate Growth, buffing itself up.

"Good, Cherubi, now use Grass Knot!"

Blaze hit the ground unceremoniously as Grass Knot took his legs from under him. Milo, taken aback at the sudden onslaught, finally recovered, and yelled,

"Blaze, use Ember on yourself!"

A murmur of confusion went through the crowd, but the young Trainer knew exactly what he was doing. Blaze grimaced slightly as he blew flames over his own body, but the attack served to burn away the Leech Seeds.

"Grass Knot again, then Leech Seed!"

Seeing that he had a very small window to avoid being trapped, Milo called quickly,

"Quick Attack, Blaze, straight ahead."

Grass Knot swung just behind the Monferno this time, and he slammed bodily into Cherubi, who got up with an angry huff.

"Now up, and Fire Punch!"

"Safeguard, Cherubi!"

The small Grass type's defensive cover move wasn't enough to protect it from Blaze's incredibly potent Fire Punch, which was aided by his downward momentum. Cherubi was down.

"Cherubi is unable to battle, so the round goes to Monferno! Leader Gardenia is out of Pokémon, so the victor is Milo, the challenger!"

The crowd erupted in wild cheers, and Milo blinked, suddenly hyper-aware of the cameras that flashed from every angle, desperate to get a good shot of the new Trainer who had just dismantled Gardenia's Gym team.

The Leader herself crossed the field to offer a handshake and a badge, saying,

"You've more than earned this Forest Badge, Milo. That was the most brilliant piece of battling I've seen in a very long time. You completely outplayed me, even though Blaze could probably have won that alone. Your Pokémon are incredibly strong and you are one menace of a Trainer to battle against."

"I…thanks, Gardenia. Maylene is next, right? In Veilstone?"

"Hah! Just like Marcus, focused on the next battle. Yeah, you'll be headed to Veilstone next, but it might take you a while. The quickest way is through the mountain, but the path is blocked right now. You'll have to go south. By the way, I'm hoping you don't mind if I put that exemplary battle up on the BattleNet?"

He'd figured that question would be coming sooner or later, "Yeah, go ahead."

"Alright", the Leader smiled, "now I have to prepare my team for our next battle against your friend. See you around, Milo."

As she walked off, Milo thought to himself, _I can totally see her and Marcus going perfectly together._

He found Amaya waiting for him in the Gym entryway, eyes narrowed.

"How the _hell_ did you pull that off? I mean, why not just have Blaze sweep it?"

Milo shrugged, "Did you see that Roserade? It would have incapacitated Blaze and picked him to shreds. If I leave Blaze in there, maybe he wins and maybe he doesn't, but I made the safe and smart play, not the risky power play."

"I guess. I'll let you know how the risky power play goes when I make it in about a half hour."

"Yeah", Milo grinned, "I bet you will. Good luck, Amaya. I hope Coral's Ice Beam is enough to pull you through a whole Gym team."

Amaya turned back, and asked over her shoulder, "Am I really that predictable?"

"I mean, what else are you really going to do against a strong Grass team with Terrus, Granite, and Coral?"

Unable to muster a retort, Amaya went to wait in her calling room, while Milo left the Gym to make a quick trip back to the Pokémon Center to get his team refreshed before Amaya's fight. His plan was quickly derailed, however, when reporters mobbed him the minute he stepped outside.

"Milo! Can I get your comments on that battle?"

"Mio! Milo! How soon can we expect to see you in Veilstone!?

"Will you add more Pokémon to your team anytime soon?"

"What can you tell us about your relationship with Amaya?"

Milo turned his head sharply at the last question before laughing out loud. Taking a deep breath, he tried to fairly address the questions as briefly as he could;

"Uh…I thought that was a good battle, a mental battle. I'll be heading for Veilstone soon, but I'll travel at my own pace, so who knows when I'll get there. I've got four Pokémon, and I'm not going to rush to find two more just to fill spots. Amaya and I are friends and rivals, nothing else. That would be ridiculous and inconceivable. She's _way_ too stubborn."

He'd hoped they would be satisfied and go write their stories, but he only drew more questions by stopping;

"What two Pokémon have you not used in Gym battles?"

"Do you know anything about the alleged relationship between your brother and Gardenia?"

"How would you define your battling style?"

Milo sighed heavily. This was exactly the kind of thing he'd been hoping to avoid when he set out to tackle the Gyms. He gave them one more round of answers before forcing his way out,

"I have a Riolu and an Eevee. I don't know anything about Marcus' personal life, and if I did it'd be none of your business. My battle style is based on individual Pokémon, not generalizations about their type or species. I trust my Pokémon because I know them; to me they're more than Pokémon, they are my friends, my family. Right now, two of them need to be seen by Nurse Joy, so I'm leaving."

He pushed through the crowd of cameras, microphones, and notepads and headed down the road. His only consolation was that the assembled reporters were all locally based. Maybe he could stay quiet enough to keep away the big-time national media.

Having been delayed more than he anticipated, he hurried down the road, and Nurse Joy thankfully took care of Blaze and Azura immediately. Within two minutes he was on the road again, headed back towards the Gym. By the time he arrived, the media had gone back inside to report on Amaya's battle, so Milo entered and took a space in the stands with relative anonymity, or so he thought.

"Hey, you're Milo, right?"

A small pull on the back of his shirt made him turn to see a small boy with an eager face.

"Hey, kid", Milo did his best to keep the youngster quiet, "yeah, I'm Milo. You here to watch this battle?"

"Yes! I'm gonna be a super strong Trainer when I'm old enough, like you!"

Trying to convince the kid to leave, Milo said, "Yeah, I'm sure you will. Why don't you start by going back to your parents and watching the battle now?"

"Yeah, yeah, okay. But can you sign this first?"

Brimming with expectation, the boy held out a hat and a marker. Cringing at the request, Milo obliged, and then sent the child on his way. To his chagrin, his small act of indulgence was noticed, and he had to sign a dozen more assorted items and take a handful of pictures before his fellow spectators let him be (though not without continued murmuring).

After some consideration, he released his team as Amaya and Gardenia took their places on the field below. He could see/hear more unsolicited pictures and whispers as his Gym-conquering Pokémon emerged, as well as his two newcomers. Thankfully, people left him alone, as Amaya's fight was about to start and people at last had something else to focus on.

The announcer had just finished going over the rules, "-first to knock out the opponent's three Pokémon is the winner. Battle…begin!"

"Alright", called Gardenia with confidence, "Turtwig, let's get started!"

Amaya was totally dialed in, making her seem eerily calm, "Evolution is on our side, then. Terrus, let's do this."

"Ah, he's evolved since your fight with Roark, I see. No matter; Turtwig, Grass Knot!"

"Terrus, show them a real Grass Knot."

Turtwig was a Gym-trained Pokémon, but Terrus had the strength of evolution plus Amaya's ridiculous amounts of power training on his side. There was a comical burst of leaves as the Grotle's massive Grass Knot burst straight through that of its pre-evolution. Turtwig's eyes widened slightly before the monstrous attack walloped it in the side, sending it hurdling through the trees on the far side of the arena. Still, it managed to come bounding out looking significantly damaged, but more than ready to continue.

"I see…" Gardenia muttered to herself, before giving Turtwig its next instruction, "Try Razor Leaf."

"Push through that, Terrus. Get in with a Body Slam, then Bite and throw it."

Terrus roared as he charged straight through the Razor Leaf, brushing it off as best he could. Unfortunately, he and Amaya had both failed to divine the real purpose of the attack. By the time Terrus reached the far side of the field, Turtwig was long gone.

"Perfect, now try Grass Knot again!"

Still disoriented, the Grotle could only grunt in pain as a Grass Knot swung his legs from under him, bringing him toppling awkwardly to the ground.

"Find it, Terrus. Quickly. Then use Giga Drain."

Terrus stood up, and Milo saw his head flick from side to side for only a few seconds before spotting Gardenia's Turtwig trying to use the trees as camouflage. With a large "GROOO!", he launched his energy-sapping attack, and heard a satisfying squawk from the smaller Pokémon as it was drained.

Before his Giga Drain could finish, though, Gardenia called out, "Razor Leaf!"

In his vulnerable state, being halfway through an attack, Terrus had no way to counter it, and yelled aloud as the leaves struck him mercilessly. This Turtwig was causing more trouble than Amaya had planned for. Nevertheless, the Giga Drain ran its course, and Turtwig was clearly low on energy.

 _That should be checkmate_ , said Azura observantly, _Turtwig did well, but Terrus was just too much for it. This was only ever going one way._

Sure enough, the ghost of a smirk played on the challenger's lips as she said one word, "Return".

An explosion of energy, drawing on Terrus' loyalty to his Trainer, blasted the unfortunate Turtwig all the way through the trees to hit the wall behind them, leaving no question about the result.

"Turtwig is unable to battle! Grotle wins the round!"

Gardenia recalled her Pokémon, thanking it for a strong showing against a stronger opponent, before making her next move,

"Cherubi, you're in!"

Amaya frowned. Milo could only assume it hadn't occurred to her that Gardenia wouldn't use Roserade next, as she had against Milo. Faltering slightly, she called to her starter,

"How you holding up, Terrus?"

The indomitable Grotle looked back with a confident game face and nodded. He wouldn't back out against a little Cherubi.

"Then get charging."

He grunted his approval and his back began to glow. Gardenia's brow furrowed; she knew exactly what that meant. She barked out rapid-fire orders;

"Safeguard, Grass Knot, Leech Seed! Hurry, it's charging a Solarbeam!"

 _That's very risky from Amaya_ , observed Milo.

Sitting attentively in her Trainer's lap, Aurora asked, _Why's Terrus just glowing and standing there?_

 _That's Solarbeam,_ Milo did his best to explain quickly, as Cherubi put up a Safeguard to serve as a makeshift defense in case the powerful attack couldn't be diverted, _Amaya is betting Terrus can take enough hits to get a Solarbeam off. If it works, Cherubi is toast, but if not then Terrus goes down and Amaya's chances go down significantly._

Terrus was watching his opponent carefully, too far into his charging to change course, doing his best to gather energy as quickly as he could.

Amaya's bet almost paid out. Terrus' glow was almost blinding, surely near completion, when Cherubi's lightning fast Grass Knot swung under his legs. He tried to maintain his focus, but the glow dimmed and began to falter, as the small Cherry Pokémon's Leech Seed follow-up peppered his body, tapping into his considerable stores of energy. He roared and pushed himself valiantly off the ground as Amaya called out,

"Razor Leaf, Terrus. I know you've got it left in you."

The Razor Leaf was impressive for a Pokémon on its last legs. Cherubi and Gardenia had clearly not expected another attack, and Cherubi cried out as it was struck. It survived easily, but still sustained enough damage to make a difference. With that last effort, Terrus' eyes closed of their own accord, and his knees buckled. He was down. He'd landed a hit, but now Amaya and Gardenia were tied.

As he was returned to his Pokéball, the crowd cheered for the spectacular match being played out before them. Amidst all the noise, nobody heard Amaya whisper to herself,

" _I should've known better. Dammit, I'm sorry, Terrus._ "

"Grotle is unable to battle, Cherubi wins the round!"

Milo saw Amaya pause, close her eyes, and take a breath.

 _She's freaking out_ , he realized, _she didn't plan to lose Terrus – at least not with two Pokémon still left to fight._

 _She's actually losing, I think_ , contributed Blaze. He paused as Amaya called her next fighter to the field;

"Okay, Granite. Let's do this."

 _Terrus was the only one she had without a type disadvantage_ , commented Milo's Monferno, _She's got nothing up her sleeve now but raw power, and lots of it._

 _You're right buddy_ , smiled Milo, _you're getting much better at this whole analysis thing._

Blaze smiled to himself. He'd been trying to work on his ability to read battles, so he could better imitate Milo's cerebral instincts in the heat of battle.

Meanwhile, on the field before them, Amaya was trying to bludgeon Cherubi into submission before the battle got any further out of her control.

"Rock Polish. Then Slam."

"Cherubi, dodge! Into the trees!"

Cherubi jumped alertly into the surrounding woods as Granite flung himself across the field, narrowly missing the Cherry Pokémon despite his increased speed.

"Hiding, eh? Fine, Iron Tail, sweep the trees."

Gardenia tried to counter, "Get back out, Cherubi, Grass Knot!"

The results were…mixed. Amaya's plan worked perfectly, and Cherubi's cry rung across the stadium as Granite's tail crushed its tree and several others. Before the dust could settle, however, a Grass Knot came flying out of nowhere, bringing the large Onix down hard onto the grass field. Cherubi jumped out into view, breathing heavily as Granite pulled himself up laboriously.

"We can't let that happen again, Granite. Rock Tomb."

"Dodge, Cherubi!"

Gardenia's half-hearted strategy was ineffective. Granite was very good at this, and trapped the unfortunate little Grass type in a few seconds, dealing more damage in the process.

"Now Iron Tail, send it up."

Granite's Steel-covered tail swept viciously through the Rock Tomb he'd just encased Cherubi in, and the small Pokémon was sent flying into the air.

"Now Rock Throw, Granite."

"No! Cherubi, Safeguard!"

Granite's Rock Throw was hardly affected by the Safeguard, and Cherubi hit the ground unconscious.

He crowd was on its feet now. Milo's battle had been entertaining, but this match was actually too close to call. Besides, every Eterna citizen knew what Gardenia's ace would be. She was famous at every level of battling for having a Roserade in her team. It was her favorite species and she knew _very_ well how to use them in battle. Sure enough, a savage roar went up from those assembled as the beloved Gym Leader made the iconic call they so loved to hear;

"Alright, Roserade, you're in!"

"Granite, return."

The Onix had time to register a look of slight surprise before it was returned to its Trainer. Milo was glad to see Amaya not repeat the mistake that had cost her Terrus. After the Grass Knot, Granite was in no state to handle a fresh Roserade. It was best to return him for a rest, to use as a last resort.

There was just one problem. With Terrus down and Granite too injured to fight a Roserade, Amaya's only option was…

 _This will never work_ , Azura voiced Milo's thoughts for him, as Amaya did exactly what they'd guessed she would;

"Coral, I need you. Let's do this."

 _She's pinning this whole battle on Coral's Ice Beam_ , thought Milo, incredulous at his friend's apparently reckless decision-making.

Gardenia was similarly doubtful, "A Milotic? Hmm…I suppose you could have some surprises, but you've backed yourself into a big corner there. Show me what you've got! Roserade, Magical Leaf!"

Amaya, as always, got straight to the point;

"Ice Beam!"

"Roserade, MOVE!"

Though it wasn't her famous, prized Roserade, this Roserade was still a force to be reckoned with, and was fast as well. It dodged the Ice Beam relatively comfortably, and Magical Leaf left Coral grimacing after only one attack.

"Alright…Coral, Twister."

 _Now that's smart_ , remarked Milo to his team, _that'll do damage and throw Roserade off, even if it's not super effective._

Sure enough, Roserade was battered by leaves, dirt, and pieces of wood flying about in the vicious Twister that Coral summoned with all of her not inconsiderable force.

When it began to subside, Gardenia took action, "Poison Sting. Then Magical Leaf."

"No, Coral, Hydro Pump that away."

In typical Amaya fashion, one attack was used to overpower another, and the Poison Sting barbs were rendered harmless by the high-powered gushes of water which hit Roserade. Unfortunately, Magical Leaf would not be so easily deterred, and Coral took another super-effective hit, crying out in pain as the damage began to rack up despite her sturdy defense.

"Now Dragon Tail, Coral."

Amaya was doing her level best to play defense by playing offense, and so far it was working. Coral's confident Dragon Tail swept cleanly through Roserade, and it banged uncomfortably into the vegetation surrounding the field, eliciting a nervous _ooh_ from the crowd.

Roserade was gritting its teeth in effort, but it got up and looked angrily across at Coral.

"Roserade, Grass Knot!"

The Bouquet Pokémon smirked as it efficiently brought Amaya's majestic Milotic tumbling down. Amaya narrowed her eyes, seeing the very real possibility of losing…but then she saw an opening. Coral's head had landed, albeit painfully, just ten feet from Roserade, who was visibly exhausted.

"Ice Beam, now!"

Caught completely off guard, Roserade could only stand still as the powerful attack slammed into it, forcing it straight past Gardenia to land knocked out on the ground.

As Coral struggled back into some semblance of an upright position, the announcer called the result, "Roserade is unable to battle, so Milotic wins the round! The Gym Leader has lost all three Pokémon, so the victory goes to Amaya, the challenger from Twinleaf!"

After seeing two magnificent battles in the same day, the crowd went nuts, and Milo joined in applauding his friend.

 _She cut that pretty close_ , said Azura, _do you think she'll struggle against later Gym Leaders?_

 _No_ , answered Milo carefully, _I think she knows that was close, so she'll push herself and her team even harder from now on. That might be the closest she'll ever come to losing a Gym battle._

Milo had planned to meet Amaya outside the Gym to congratulate her, but as he left, he almost got trapped again by journalists. Luckily, they were more interested in finding Amaya, so he escaped to the Pokémon Center, where he checked out a room and sat to hang out with his team, going back through the battle to explain some of the finer points he'd noticed, especially to the younger two.

Aurora and Ferra were eager listeners and learned very quickly. Ferra in particular hung on her Trainer's every word, completely entranced and enchanted by the prospect of battling at such a high level, where the tiniest mistake could turn a victory into defeat.

After about an hour and a half, Amaya walked wearily into his room, flopping down on the unoccupied couch with a gruff, "Hey".

"Hey yourself", he responded, "Congrats on the win. Your thoughts?"

"You sound like those reporters. To be honest…I was an idiot to let it get that close. I need to be more aware."

"You should also be more careful", noted the Jubilife Trainer.

"Yeah, keeping Terrus in was a bad decision. He'd fight anything in any condition if I let him, I should've known he was more hurt than he seemed. He's strong, but not invincible…yet."

"Still", remarked Milo, "You played it well. Especially that knee-jerk Ice Beam. Brilliant instinct."

"Thanks. Coral never lets me down."

"Seems that way. You look tired; you gonna take a nap?"

"Yeah", she answered with a heavy sigh, heaving herself up to amble back to her own room, "just stopped in to say what's up. You know, one of those reporters asked if we were a thing."

Milo cracked up laughing, "You got that question, too? Oh man, that's too funny. What'd you say?"

"I laughed in his face and told him fat chance. Can you imagine how weird that'd be?"

"Heh, yeah, no kidding."

"Well…see you in a few hours for dinner."

Milo sat back to chill for a while, and turned on the TV in his room to see the preliminary rounds of the Veilstone Amateur Performers Showcase playing. Usually people from Sinnoh focused more on Contests and Coordinators than Showcases and Performers, but the Kalos brand of Pokémon showing had recently been on the rise, as it had a more global market and better organization, not to mention more funding.

This particular round featured three aspiring Performers. The young ladies' names were Acile, Berynne, and Kara. They were competing in a one-Pokémon performance round with a Roselia, Buizel, and Leafeon respectively. Milo had never been super into this kind of thing, but with nothing else to do, he was content to kick back and watch this with at least passing interest.

Acile and Berynne did well, but Kara was clearly the most talented of the group. Her Leafeon's moves were more precise, more elaborate, and perfectly in sync with Kara's own movements. They flowed together with a natural elegance that the other two simply did not possess. Truthfully, Kara looked more like she belonged in Kalos, Performance Central, than an Amateur Showcase in Veilstone.

Milo released his Pokémon to allow them some fresh air and relaxation, and after watching another couple rounds, he drifted off into an easy slumber, the late afternoon sun warming him just enough to be lazily comfortable.

When he came to, it was evening, and Amaya was banging on his door.

"Hey. I'm hungry. Let's go find dinner."

"Whuh…?" Milo was still rousing himself, "Okay. Where?"

"Gardenia's here. She says she knows a good place."

Intrigued, Milo returned his team, and found the Gym Leader waiting for them in the lobby.

As it turned out, Gardenia wanted to treat them to dinner as congratulations for their double victory. They had a good time, and got good advice from the Grass-type master, which Amaya was more than eager for.

"You should also know", said the Leader in a confidential tone, "that you guys are only going to get bigger. I mean, you should see the attention your videos are getting on the BattleNet. Professors, Leaders, and media tycoons have all seen your battles in the last few hours. You're gaining a reputation, both of you."

Amaya grunted, "Hmm. That wasn't my best battling, by far. I was careless and it nearly cost me."

"Don't sell yourself short", answered Gardenia, "not many people can turn a battle around like that from a type disadvantage after a Gym Leader backs them into a corner. I had you beaten to rights, and you still pulled it out of the hat, somehow."

They talked for another hour or so, examining both of their battles in careful detail, before the two young Trainers returned, heads packed full of useful tidbits, to the Pokémon Center. There they found one last surprise waiting for them that day, as Nurse Joy called them over;

"Oh, you two! This man has been waiting for you; he says he would like to speak with you about an offer of some sort?"

The man in question, who looked to be a well-dressed, eager individual in his mid to late twenties, stood and introduced himself,

"Hello, hello to both of you! I'm Jenks, and you're Milo and Amaya, as everyone knows by now. Should we take a seat? I'll try not to keep you long."

Confused, the two Trainers sat down at a nearby table. Holding a portable coffee mug and wearing glasses and an bright, white smile, Jenks sat across from them and made his offer;

"So, straight to business: Don't let me scare you off, but I _am_ a reporter."

Milo immediately made to politely excuse himself, but Jenks held out a hand, continuing quickly, "I promise I'm not here to interview you! Please, just hear me out; I really do want to make both of you an offer."

Milo sat back down warily, as Amaya answered for them, "Okay, Mr. Jenks, we're listening."

"Now, as you've no doubt seen, new battling sensations like you are hot news for every journalist in Sinnoh. While it's great for us media types, I know it can be downright exhausting for you Trainers. My proposal is this: let me be your media manager. Basically, after every major battle or other significant appearance, you give me an interview, and I in turn make sure the rest of the media gives you your due privacy. See how that works?"

"Yeah…I think I get it", said Milo, "but I still think I'd rather take my chances avoiding the press on my own."

"Ah, but think about it", countered Jenks, "If you ignore reporters, they will still report something. If they don't have anything, I'm sad to say that most will make something up, and you lose control of your public image. If you let me do my job, I will only report what we agree is best for you, and you get privacy _and_ a good image. I understand your apprehension, Milo, but this is the best deal anyone will offer you, and you'll only have more attention bearing down on you from here on out."

 _That's the second time I've heard that tonight…_ Milo thought.

"I like this deal, Milo", said Amaya, "He's got a good point. Do we have to pay you?"

"No", answered Jenks quickly, "I work for the Consortium for Free Journalism, which basically means I get a nice paycheck and free reign to report anything I want, as long as I'm journalistically ethical about it. That also means I don't need to get my hands into your winnings, you pay me nothing."

Amaya was obviously sold, but Milo was still eyeing the man from across the table. Jenks reached into his pocket and produced and envelope,

"I figured you might be unsure, it's perfectly natural. That's why I brought this. Read that, if you would, Milo."

Milo took and opened the envelope. The stationary inside was official Hearthome Gym paper, with the unmistakable Absol-print watermark in the lower corner. It was a note that read,

 _Milo,_

 _Hey bro; I know you're probably nervous about the whole media thing, but trust me when I tell you that Jenks is the best in the business. He's honest, and he really has your best interests at heart. He'll take good care of you without manipulating you or doing any other typically cynical journalist-y things. You're going to have to deal with media one way or another, just like me, and Jenks is the way to go. You'll probably even end up friends with him; he's already my good friend. Believe me, Milo; this deal is as close as you'll get to no media on the big stage of battling. Take the deal, bro._

 _-Marcus_

After Marcus' testimony and solid logic, Milo turned the idea over in his head for a few seconds before offering a hand to Jenks, saying,

"Alright, Mr. Jenks, I'll take this deal. Sorry if I seemed standoffish, there. I'm not used to the whole press interest thing yet."

"Hey, no worries, Milo", answered Jenks, accepting the handshake warmly, "As a journo I get that all the time. Comes with the territory. A pleasure to be working with you! Now, I assume you two will be leaving Eterna tomorrow?"

They hadn't talked about it, but quickly agreed. After all, there wasn't anything else for them in Eterna.

"Sweet", Jenks stood up and dropped a card onto the table, "Whenever you get near Veilstone, or any other city you think might have media looking for you, shoot me a text and I'll be ready to help you through, every step of the way!"

"Thanks, Jenks", said Amaya with a handshake of her own.

Their new media manager waved goodbye and walked briskly out of the Pokémon Center.

"Well", began Milo, "that just happened, I guess."

"Yup", answered Amaya eloquently, "Now I'm tired. Good night, Milo."

He followed his friend down the hall before turning off into his own room. After what had been a _very_ long day, he released his team, got ready, and at last got into his soft, quiet bed. Two badges down, he realized, and six left to go…

 **Chapter 10 Thoughts: This chapter has some real novelty, in my humble opinion. A (hopefully) thrilling pair of Gym battles, and yes, I invented a backstory for Gardenia. The media manager thing was another stroke of random inspiration that I plan to use repeatedly through the rest of this story. I would love to hear your thoughts (pretty please)! I obviously don't own Pokémon, just my OC's.**

 **If you like it, keep reading, and feel free to follow/favorite. That way you can keep up to date with Milo and other people will be more likely to find this story! Thanks for reading! Cheers, all!**


	11. Chapter 11 - Ripples

Milo Chapter 11 – Ripples

Milo huffed, clearing his mind to focus as he checked over everything they had just bought. For the first time on his journey they were going to make a trip that would take longer than one day of travel, and would have to camp. Amaya was (predictably) indifferent, but Milo and his Pokémon were quite excited. Aurora was bouncing up and down on the bed singing lightly as she danced about;

 _Camping, camping, gonna go camping…Me an' my friends an' my Milo are camping…Camping, camping, camping!_

Milo was always fond of seeing the young Eevee's regular displays of boundless youthful energy, but she'd been going on that way for almost an hour now, and he needed to be able to concentrate. He shot Azura a look, and she understood perfectly.

 _Aurora, come little one, we're going to do some training! Want to train? Come on, let's all go!_

That did the trick perfectly. Blaze, who had been relaxing in the corner, rolled his eyes with a grin and stirred slowly while their youngest teammate, Ferra, wriggled her way out of a pile of clothes to chase excitedly after Azura and Aurora.

 _Yes! I'm gonna be the strongest! Woohoo, training training training! I'm gonna be stroooong!_

 _I'm sure you will_ , answered Blaze patiently, _let's follow them. I'll help you get faster, little thing._

With amusement and relief, Milo grinned. He watched through the window as his team gathered on the training field behind the Pokémon Center. He was more than thrilled to see them all getting along so well. He'd heard of Trainers whose Pokémon didn't develop that kind of chemistry, and he knew it could cause crippling issues that were rarely resolved well.

"Yo, we ready?"

Amaya's voice preceded her into the room, and Milo answered absentmindedly, refocusing on his final gear checks;

"Hmm? Yeah, yeah… Got the tents, stakes, sleeping bags-"

"Wait", interrupted Amaya, "is that your team out there? Hang on; I'll get mine to join them. They don't get to hang out enough."

"Wait, Amaya, we'll be leaving in a few – or not, whatever."

Milo muttered this last part to himself as Amaya had already left. He finished running through his mental checklist: they had basic field medicines, two days of food plus some extra, plenty of water…everything seemed to be in order. Satisfied, he went to go out and round up the restless Pokémon outside, who had now been joined by Coral, Terrus, Granite, and Leon.

As he passed through the lobby, his mind full of self-checks regarding their trip, a voice made him turn;

"Hey, Milo, there you are!"

"Oh!" He was rather startled, "Gardenia, what's up?"

"Well, a couple things. First", the good-natured Leader struck a sassy, hands-on-hips pose, "I can't _believe_ you were about to leave without saying goodbye. Second", she cut through his attempted protest, "a prominent local figure wants to meet you."

"A…prominent local figure?"

"Yeah, he should be here soon. His name is Archibald Montgomery, and truthfully he's a bit of an odd duck. Great guy, just not all there socially. You'll see."

Nervous, Milo pressed Gardenia for more info as they took a seat to wait for 'Archibald Montgomery',

"Who is this guy, and what does he want with me?"

"Well, he's an Aura Guardian of some kind, and he's, umm, he sort of proclaimed himself 'Protector of Eterna'. He certainly fits the bill; he's helped defend us from poachers, Rockets, even Team Galactic, back in their hey-day. He's crazy strong, and he's got a real _thing_ for Lucario, which goes with the whole Aura bit."

"Okay", Milo furrowed his brow, "that's all fine, but again, what does he have to do with _me_?"

Gardenia chuckled to herself, "Well, I'd guess it's got something to do with your little Riolu, Ark doesn't miss a thing around here. Besides that, who knows? He's never been the easiest to figure out. Milo", her grin faded and she became quite serious, "make sure you respect him. He's well known and highly admired by everyone around here, including me. This city owes him a great debt, and for him to seek you out is a great honor indeed."

"…I – I understand", responded the young Trainer solemnly.

"Don't mind if he's a bit awkward", Gardenia added, "he was actually raised by wild Lucario for a long time, so human society is a bit like a second language to him. I promise that he does have a very serious side under the… outgoing exterior. Ah", she turned as the door to the Pokémon Center opened, "that should be him now."

Milo could only blink in surprise at the man that walked in. The Lucario fascination Gardenia had mentioned was immediately evident; he had dressed himself to actually look like one. The short, wiry man, who looked in his mid-late twenties, wore a tan shirt with short blue sleeves and blue shorts that reached just down to his knee-high black socks. He'd even put on a black bandana to complete the effect.

He looked about briefly, before bounding over to Gardenia and Milo with a bright grin;

"Hello, hello! Good to see you as always, Gardenia – and this! This must be _the_ Milo! Am I right? I am, aren't I? You're Milo?"

"Erm…yeah. That's me. You're, uh, Archibald Montgomery?"

Milo did his best to be polite, not stare, etc. It was more difficult than it sounded; the exuberant man did much to draw attention.

"That's me!" He spread his arms wide, before tilting his head slightly and looking quizzically at Milo, "Ark is fine, though. My goodness, are you – Gardenia is he – my boy, you have a particularly odd sense about you. Have you ever come in contact with any kind of Aura? There's something…off about yours that I can't place. I'm sure I've felt something like it before…but where?"

 _That must be the awkwardness that Gardenia mentioned… I can't just have him blurt out about my Dark Aura!_

Swallowing and doing his best to think quickly, he replied as nonchalantly as possible, "Aura? No, no, nothing like that… I do have a Dark-type with some sort of Dark telepathy, and a newborn Riolu, maybe that's it?"

For the first time, Archibald Montgomery's broad smile faltered, "Ah, so it's true. The young one is with you. Pardon me a minute…"

"Ark, if I may", Gardenia cut in, "why don't we take this outside, where you can meet Milo's team and his friend Amaya?"

"Hmm? Ah, yes. Yes, that's a good thought. Out back, I presume?"

Milo nodded wordlessly and led the way, head spinning. As they left the Pokémon Center lobby, Ark poked a button on a Pokéball at his belt, revealing a Lucario. The intense Pokémon immediately stared with deep red eyes at Milo, who froze in his tracks.

"Anubis", called Ark shortly, "easy. I feel it too, but the young one is here."

That seemed to get Anubis' attention, and he and Ark fell silent. Milo inferred from their facial expressions that they were having some kind of Aura-based mental discussion, not unlike his own talks with his team.

Soon, the group rounded the corner of the Center to find the crowd of eight Pokémon all engaged in some rudimentary form of training on the practice field. Amaya sat and watched, headphones firmly in place, as Blaze and Azura led Leon and Aurora through one of Milo's speed drills, while Coral and Granite coached Ferra in a light sparring match. Terrus was kindheartedly giving Ferra an 'opponent' to launch attacks at without retaliating enough to injure the young Riolu.

"Hey guys", called Milo, "hey! There's someone who wants to meet us!"

Both sets of Pokémon ceased, (not before Ferra landed one last admirable Focus Blast) and turned to see who the newcomer was.

Undaunted by the array of faces peering at him, Archibald Montgomery introduced himself cheerfully,

"Hey to all of you! Saw your Gym battles on TV, great stuff! Call me Ark, I'm Eterna's Aura Protector. I just was curious about you guys and wanted to meet the two young teams that have caused such commotion! Oh, this is Anubis, by the way."

Anubis, with a dead serious face, bowed stiffly.

"Don't let me interrupt your training, though! I just want a few words with your Trainer, really."

Slightly subdued, they returned one by one to their previous activities, while Milo and Ark joined Amaya on the side of the field, sitting on a bench to talk and observe. Gardenia hung back, saying,

"I'd love to stay, but I just came to put you in contact with Ark here, and say goodbye. I wish you luck, and I'll be on the lookout for a video from Veilstone very soon! See ya! Oh, and Milo…If you talk to Marcus, tell him I'm anxious to see him? Please?"

Milo chuckled, "Sure thing, Gardenia. Bye!"

Amaya dispensed quickly with formalities, addressing Ark shortly, "I'm Amaya. Who are you, Ark? And why are you dressed up like a Lucario?"

The enigmatic man smiled (again), and replied, "Like I said, I'm the Aura Protector of the city. I was raised in the forest by Lucario, so this outfit is what you could call my tribute to my past."

Amaya raised an eyebrow, looking askance at Ark, "Uh…sure. Whatever. Why are you here?"

"To meet all of you!" He gestured broadly to the assembled Pokémon, who were still training, though many of them cast an occasional glance backward at him.

"Though", he continued in a more subdued tone, "I do have a few questions for Milo in particular."

Amaya rolled her eyes and put her headphones back on, saying, "Seems like everyone does. Have fun chatting, you two. I'll keep an eye on the team."

Ark nodded in agreement, and motioned with his head to Milo, who followed him to a bench on the other side of the field. Still unsure of Ark's intentions, Milo opened his mind quietly to his Pokémon, so they could hear everything that happened,

"So", began the young Trainer, "what kind of questions do you have, Ark?"

"Well", the Aura Protector of Eterna dropped his boyish attitude almost immediately, becoming surprisingly serious, "first I wanted to thank you from the bottom of my heart for everything you've done, especially for your heroic actions in Oreburgh."

Taken aback by the forwardness of his words, Milo sputtered, "I…I don't…what do you know about Oreburgh?"

"I know…" Ark paused; evidently this was difficult for him, "I know where that marvelous little Riolu came from. I know her story."

"You…know about Ferra?" Milo's voice was hushed, "You have the Aura thing… did you know something about her parents?"

"Anubis", said the man quietly. The stoic Lucario, who had been standing nearby watching Milo and Amaya's Pokémon training, padded silently over to his friend Ark.

"Anubis, you've been watching her. What do you think?"

The Aura Pokémon blinked once or twice, and then looked at Ark for a minute, still silent. Milo was confused, until he realized that Ark and Anubis were likely communicating telepathically.

 _This must be how weird it is for Amaya when I do that. Huh._

"I agree", said Ark, before turning back to Milo, "it really is her."

"Sorry", Milo jumped in, "but what exactly do you know about Ferra? Please, if you know, can you tell me?"

Before Ark answered, Milo felt a small tug on his pants leg. He looked down to see Ferra herself looking solemnly up at him. He picked her up carefully and sat her on his lap, rubbing her ears the way she liked. Looking back at the Aura Protector, Milo saw Ark's eyes cloud with tears, as a small smile spread sadly across his features.

He took a shuddering breath, and began, "I was raised by Lucario in the forest south of here, as I said. I learned to use Aura as they do. Lucario are a rare enough species of Pokémon that all wild Lucario share a kind of Aura connection; I learned to sense that connection as well. The upshot here is…I felt, as did Anubis, when those poachers attacked Ferra's parents."

Anubis himself was now staring unreadably at Ferra, completely focused on Milo's youngest Pokémon friend. Judging by their occasional facial twitches, Milo guessed that they, too, were communicating silently, somehow.

"I…I have a tattoo on my back", Ark continued, standing and turning around, "you can see the top of it there. It's a bone, and goes halfway down my spine, with two slashes through the middle. I got it very recently; it's a reminder of the two brave parents who were lost that day."

Milo was speechless, overwhelmed. He gazed down at Ferra, who was also crying now. He tenderly held onto her small paw, and she grabbed his whole arm tightly, holding on seemingly for dear life, her face buried in the crook of his elbow.

"The father…Ferra's father", Ark's voice was low, full of memory and laden with pain, "his name was Fenrir. He was brave, strong, and kind. He and his mate Morra had gone down years ago to begin a new colony outside Oreburgh. When we heard they had an Egg, we were overjoyed. Especially Anubis."

Ark's Pokémon turned away, clearly suffering from the same pain that was written all over his Trainer's face.

"You see", Ark finished, "Fenrir was…Anubis' older brother."

Dumbstruck, Milo tried to wrap his mind around this revelation, "His brother? So, Anubis…Ferra, that's your _uncle_!"

The young Riolu was already miles ahead of her Trainer. She had already jumped down and was walking slowly towards the older Aura Pokémon. She approached almost reverently, and placed one small hand on Anubis' leg, looking up at him with the utmost seriousness written on her tiny features.

" **Ferra** ", said a powerful voice. It was Anubis, projecting his voice to be audible.

 _His voice is so…so strong_ , thought Milo, _so full of experience and depth._

" **Ferra, my brother's daughter** ", he picked her up and held her at his eye level, " **Be proud of your legacy. Know that Fenrir is surely proud of you.** "

Ferra instantly broke into a fresh wave of tears, overcome by the emotional moment. Milo blinked; it was so easy to forget sometimes that she was still incredibly young. Lovingly, Anubis held her close, just like…just like a father would have.

" **Honor him by your strength and loyalty** ", concluded the austere Anubis before gently handing Ferra back to her Trainer.

Breathing deeply to control her emotions, the young Riolu looked up at Milo with a new fire in her eyes and said,

 _Milo, I wanted to be strong to win and be famous. Now I want to be strong with you, and…I will be strong to honor my father._

Anubis nodded approvingly, " **Fenrir would have had it no other way.** "

Ark smiled sadly at the scene before him before turning respectfully to Milo,

"Someday, Milo, we'll meet again, and I'd love to tell you all about Fenrir. However, I suspect that you need to be off soon, and I've some things to attend to here as well. Before we say adieu, I had one more thing to discuss with you. If you don't mind, that is…"

"What else did you want to talk about, Ark?"

Milo felt much more comfortable talking to 'Archibald Montgomery' now, having shared such an intimate reunion experience.

Ark leaned in, his brow furrowed, "I didn't want to press the issue with anyone else around, since you seemed unwilling to admit it around even Gardenia, but…you have Dark Aura."

It wasn't a question. He knew, for certain. Milo took a shuddering breath.

"I…yeah. I have Dark Aura. Is, uh, that a problem? I don't use it for personal gain or anything, only when it's needed…"

Ark crossed his arms, deep in thought, "It's not a problem, exactly. I just can't help but wonder…where does a young Trainer, fresh out of school and with two badges to his name, get that kind of dangerous power?"

"It was given to me by – by someone I trust, and who trusts me."

Milo was trying not to get defensive, but he was beginning to feel like he was being interrogated, even judged. Anubis was staring at him again, apparently as concerned as Ark was. Suddenly, the Aura Pokémon shot forward like lightning and grabbed ahold of Milo's left hand with the strongest grip he'd ever felt.

Ferra cried out in surprised concern, and Anubis applied Aura power to Milo's hand…and something within Milo seemed to retaliate. He could feel his own Dark Aura rush to repel this intrusion. Still, he couldn't shake free of Anubis, until the Lucario barked in sudden pain, and Milo's hand burned fiercely. Trembling, he turned his hand over to see, on the back, the white insignia that represented his closest secret. Anubis and Ark saw it too. It was the glowing symbol of the Order of Shadows.

"Impossible", whispered Ark, "That can't be. That Order disappeared centuries ago. This can't be happening."

"The Order of Shadows is still alive", responded Milo shakily, clinging to his allegiance to the organization, "we still fight for the balance of the world between chaos and control."

"I… should explain my shock here", said Ark, "Dark Aura users were unheard of in the world until some began to abuse Aura. As they say, the brightest lights cast the deepest shadows. When the proud tradition of Aura Guardians was at its height, some began to take advantage of the dignity and authority of that name. These corrupt Aura Guardians extorted and robbed innocent people, using their strength as a brute weapon for personal gain. Suddenly, a powerful group of people with anti-Aura powers appeared seemingly from nowhere. They called themselves the Order of Shadows and they used this new Dark Aura to lay waste to those who dishonored the name Aura Guardian. Once they had completed their purge of the ranks of Aura Guardians, they vanished into thin air and were never heard from again. They brought the Golden Age of Aura Guardians to a swift and violent close, but also cleansed us of a devastating cancer. They were as much a mystery as their power – their Dark Aura."

Milo, who was listening to every word with rapt attention, questioned the Aura Protector of Eterna, "Why was Dark Aura so effective against them? Aren't Aura moves traditionally fighting-type? Wouldn't they have power over Dark Aura?"

"An astute question, but that's not quite how Aura works. Aura and Dark Aura are more like two sides of the same coin, two expressions of the same deeper force, like a yin-yang type of thing. I'll give you an example; I as an Aura Guardian can sense Aura from every living thing around me. But because you have a concentration of Dark Aura, you're like…a blind spot in my vision. A complete hole, a dark spot where there should be something. Your Dark Aura would affect me just as strongly as my Aura would affect you. The two are equal and opposite."

"I'd never heard the history behind all that", answered Milo truthfully, "it's cool to know that the Order dates that far back."

Ark shrugged, "As far as we know, it's entirely possible that your Order is even older than the Aura Guardian tradition. The Order of Shadows hasn't been heard from in literally hundreds of years; it's one of few organizations more secretive and secluded than the Guardians. I… I must tell you, I'm going to have to report this to my superiors."

"Oh, uh…" Milo knew the importance of absolute secrecy, "I'd really rather you not tell anyone about this, actually. The Order is just as secret now as it always has been, and we need to keep it that way."

"Don't worry", assured the Aura Protector, "We Guardians know _all_ about keeping secrets. Nobody outside the Guardians will hear a word of this. I'll also make sure never to mention you by name."

Milo bit his lip, knowing there wasn't much he could do about it. He'd have to tell Marcus…

"It will be interesting", commented Ark, "to see what happens now. Ferra may be one of the first of her kind to have experience with both Aura and Dark Aura…Ah, but now we both have things to do and things to think on."

As he stood up, something of his earlier exuberance returned to his bright face, "Milo, it was grand to meet you!" He turned to the Pokémon and waved, adding, "It was great to meet all of you as well, and I wish you the best of luck as you continue your journey to the summit of Pokémon Training!"

Milo watched him go, still processing everything that had just happened.

"So", said Amaya, who had crossed the field, "what did weird guy want?"

"That's rude", Milo chided, "He's got a name. Besides, he's a pretty nice guy. He wanted to know about Ferra, turns out she and his Lucario are related. Cool stuff."

"Cool", she nodded. The girl paused and looked curiously up at Milo before posing her next question, "What was that thing with your hand?"

 _Not again_ , thought Milo. He thought for a split second before saying, "My hand? Oh, uh, he was just checking something. Turned out not to be what he thought, so no big deal."

"No big deal? Your hand started _glowing_. Something on it hurt that Lucario when it grabbed you. What are you not telling?"

Cursing under his breath, Milo knew that he was (again) trapped, "Glowing…You saw that, huh? Crap. Well, the Shinx is out of the bag now I guess...No offense, Leon."

With a sigh, he launched into a (heavily abridged) explanation of the Order of Shadows and Dark Aura. Getting through it all in ten minutes was a major accomplishment, given Amaya's frustrating capacity to interrupt him every other sentence. When he was done, he took a deep breath and waited for her reaction;

"Huh. So not only are you some kind of freak prodigy of a Trainer, now you're a secret agent with Dark Aura powers? Milo, you really are something else. Anyway, thanks for spilling the beans."

"…That's it? That's all you have to say about – about _everything_ I just told you?"

Amaya shrugged, "What do you want me to say? 'Oh, Milo, I'm so terribly impressed by your dark and dangerous secrets'? Travelling with you lands me in some pretty wacky circumstances. It'll take more than 'Dark Aura' to really freak me out."

Replacing her headphones, she strode back over to her bench to continue monitoring her team's training. Milo stood, mouth open in disbelief, as she walked off. How…? She was utterly unflappable! Secret organizations, sinister plots, Dark agents – all that got dumped on her at once, and she just…shrugged it off and accepted it? It was like he'd just told her that lunch would be five minutes late!

 _Well_ , came Azura's voice, _she's certainly a hardy type of person. Does nothing faze her?_

 _I…I guess not._

Milo gave himself a little shake. If Amaya wasn't going to make a big deal of this, he probably shouldn't either.

It was now about ten o'clock in the morning, and Milo decided to give his team a bit more time to train, just to burn off some excess energy before heading out. Maybe this way Aurora wouldn't be bouncing around spouting an endless stream of consciousness into Milo's mind the whole day long.

He tried to just watch, but before long he couldn't resist the temptation to join his team. Soon he was running back and forth, racing Ferra and Aurora back and forth across the length of the field. He'd given up racing Blaze, who was now much too fast for him, but at a full sprint he could just keep pace with Azura, and with every workout he got in he was getting slowly but steadily faster and stronger. This was what being a Trainer was about to Milo; growing alongside one's Pokémon team, as true equals.

He'd recently come up with a new drill to improve his team's intelligence, instinct, and speed at the same time;

"Alright gang, listen up. What we're going to do is spar, like normal, but the goal is not to get hit first. Whoever gets hit first has to do a full field sprint – once down and back. Remember, it's not just about speed; you need to be able to think ahead and try to trap your opponent. Ready? Okay, Azura and Blaze over there, Aurora and Ferra over here. Ferra, let's see that Quick Attack in action!"

While Amaya's team stood on one half of the field blasting away at one another with impossibly strong attacks, Milo and his team began what turned out to be a highly effective drill. Eventually, when Ferra was tired, Milo sparred against Aurora using his Dark Aura to launch weak attacks at the young Eevee. He was surprised by her ability to dodge on instinct; she could avoid a string of attacks without appearing to exert hardly any effort. In fact, it was Milo who did the majority of the sprints when she would catch him off guard with a Shadow Ball.

They trained this way for almost an hour, and Milo called a halt around eleven;

"Hey guys, that's good for now. Let's not get completely exhausted before we head out. Amaya, you good to go?"

"Waiting on you, Milo" was the impassive answer.

In another fifteen minutes or so, they at last left Eterna, headed due South on Route 206.

-o-

"Ugh", said Amaya after they'd been walking about two hours, "if we had bikes, we could've been halfway to Hearthome by now."

"Yeah", Milo answered gruffly, his patience wearing a bit thin, "well, we _don't_ have bikes, so complaining isn't going to help anything. Come on!"

Blaze and Azura walked just behind Milo, talking quietly to one another about something, and Ferra was asleep in Milo's backpack, her head resting on his shoulder. Aurora and Leon came bounding past him;

 _Last one to that rock's a Slowpoke!_

 _Leon_ , protested Aurora, _that's no fair! You got a head start!_

 _Hey, you're supposed to be Miss Speedy, remember? Nyah nyah!_

Dropping her head, the little Eevee broke into a full sprint. Milo noticed the impromptu race and encouraged his small teammate;

"Hey, get him Aurora! Show him that work we've been doing!"

Sure enough, Aurora managed to make up ground on the competitive Shinx.

"Come on, Leon!" Amaya had also taken an interest, it seemed, "Don't let her catch you!"

The two young Pokémon raced towards the arbitrarily selected rock…and both ran headlong into it, unable to stop in time to avoid the collision.

 _I…beat you…_ said Aurora, panting.

Leon evidently disagreed, but the whole group was suddenly distracted by a newcomer;

"Hey!" A voice called from behind, a voice that made both Milo and Amaya turn to each other and groan.

"Hey, losers! What, did you give up on the Eterna Gym already?"

Amaya gave Milo a look, and asked, "Do you want to thrash him this time, or is it my turn again?"

With a sigh, Milo shrugged, "I'll get it. Ah, Damion! I couldn't hear you over the thunderous footsteps of your grossly inflated ego."

"Shut up and fight, you twerp!"

"When will you realize that both of us outclass you, Damion? If you're the best the VPC has to offer, I think even the Twinleaf Trainer's School outranks you by a mile."

"Ugh, this is why everyone hates you smug JPTA nerds. I said SHUT UP and FIGHT ME!"

Milo shrugged and said, "Have it your way. Azura, let's get to work!"

The Umbreon coolly made her way out to the improvised battle field.

"Ha! Bet you weren't expecting this! Prinplup, get it done!"

"Hmm", Milo raised an eyebrow, "Prinplup, eh? Well, I think it's time for a reunion then. Azura, let Blaze take this one. You'll get your turn later. Blaze, let's get to work!"

Blaze jumped eagerly forward, nodding in acknowledgement of his old friend, who waved cheerfully back.

"Hey", yelled Damion at his Pokémon, "don't be friendly with that flaming runt! Attack! Drill Peck that thing!"

Blaze cartwheeled acrobatically out of the way of the charging Prinplup, and Milo called a follow-up,

"Let's see that Brick Break, Blaze!"

Blaze's glowing arm came down hard into the back of the sluggish Penguin Pokémon. Damion's Water starter got up slowly, shaking his head to clear his vision.

"C'mon, get in there already, Prinplup! Bubblebeam!"

"Get moving, Blaze. Be patient."

In fairness to Prinplup, the Bubblebeam was a powerful one, and he maintained it for a good time. After about twenty seconds of Blaze casually dodging the stream of bubbles that flew at him, Prinplup had to stop and take a breath.

"Now, Blaze. Low Kick."

Prinplup hit the dirt, again, unceremoniously. Milo knew he could end the round then and there by pressing his advantage, but it felt unfair…

Blaze turned and asked, _Should I hit him again?_

 _No. Damion deserves it, but for Prinplup's sake let's not. He deserves better, don't you think?_

The Playful Pokémon nodded, _I agree._

Blaze and Milo waited patiently, while Prinplup grimaced and forced himself back upright.

"What the hell", called Damion, "why can't you beat a freaking Fire type? Get back in there! Fury Attack!"

Milo sighed, "Again, Blaze. Mach Punch when it's time."

For the third time, Blaze had no trouble avoiding the now-exhausted Prinplup. When his opponent paused, Blaze landed a rather apologetic Mach Punch, sending Prinplup down for good. Damion recalled his fallen starter;

"Tch. And here I thought evolving might make you _useful_. Fine then, Machop! Get it done!"

"Blaze, return."

Milo looked over his shoulder to see that Ferra had woken up and was watching as if her life depended on seeing every instant of a real battle.

"Hey, sleepyhead", he greeted her, "Want to try it out?"

 _You mean I get to battle? Really?_

 _Only if you want,_ answered Milo, _I'll pull you out the moment it looks bad, okay?_

In response, the young Riolu jumped down and ran out onto the field, staring down her opponent like a practiced battler. Damion's eyes narrowed, and he asked in a low voice,

"Where…where did you get that Riolu?"

Milo recalled with dark pleasure that it was Damion who had intended to buy the Egg from which Ferra had hatched. He felt his emotions begin to build.

"Oh, you mean this Riolu? The one that hatched from the Oreburgh Egg? The one _gifted to me_ by the city after I rescued it from poachers?! THAT Riolu?!"

"You didn't…You stealing bastard!"

Now he was absolutely furious. Milo screamed at the taller boy, "Oh, _I'm_ the bastard? You hired _poachers_ who killed two innocent Pokémon, stole their Egg and tried to sell it illegally! _You're_ the bastard for having anything to do with Team Rocket! Prepare to be crushed, Damion!"

At this outburst, Ferra whirled around to face Milo, eyes wide in shock;

 _It…It was him? He hired the people who…_

 _Yes, Ferra_ , answered Milo grimly, _It was Damion._

She unleashed the biggest scream of rage her little body could muster and took off faster than Milo had ever seen her move, dashing towards Damion's Machop, who looked entirely unsure of himself. Milo could see her palm begin to glow a light blue color, and he called out,

"Yes, Ferra! Force Palm him with all you've got!"

"Machop, counter with Karate Chop!"

Ferra had the power of fury behind her, but she was as yet inexperienced, and the Machop timed its Karate Chop well, blocking her effort. They reached an impasse, and Milo knew his young Pokémon wasn't prepared for any fancy moves, so he encouraged her as best he could,

"C'mon Ferra! Give it everything you've got!"

With a growl that turned into another surprisingly ferocious yell, she pushed the larger Pokémon off her, and sent it flying back to collide directly with Damion, who scrambled back to his feet. Milo knew he had the advantage now, despite Ferra's youth. That small victory would surely have boosted her confidence through the roof.

"You're doing great, girl, now don't give him time to reset! Quick Attack back in there and show him that Blaze Kick you've been working on!"

"Move, Machop! Dodge that Quick Attack and Seismic Toss this tiny punk!"

Milo could tell that Ferra had been watching Blaze closely: she managed to alter the course of the Quick Attack to account for Machop's weak attempt to dodge. The Superpower Pokémon was thrown back, but recovered well. Ferra's Blaze Kick was unfortunately still a work in progress, and when it failed to hit home, Machop was ready.

"Do it", yelled Damion, "Seismic Toss it into the ground!"

Milo's heart was in his throat as Damion's Pokémon grabbed Ferra tightly and, despite her struggling, slammed her viciously into the ground.

"Ha", came the taunt from the Veilstone graduate, "not so tough after all, are you? Who's next?"

Milo was about to make it official when he heard a small groan from the prone form of his Riolu.

 _Don't…Milo…I can still – I can still kick his butt! I – I refuse to let him win! This is for my parents!_

From the ground, she leapt up and Force Palmed the Machop in the abdomen, sending it flying up…and crashing down.

"YES, FERRA!" Milo was ecstatic, "Now Focus Blast!"

The quick follow-up confirmed the sudden comeback, and Machop collapsed unconscious in the dirt, eliciting a snarl from Damion;

"Geez, you can't even close out a victory. What a waste of a Pokémon. Whatever. Staravia, get in there, and get it done!"

"Ferra", Milo knew better than to let her keep going, "come on back. Let Azura handle this."

Each Trainer waited, seeing if the other would make the first move… It was Milo who took the initiative in this round;

"Azura, Dark Pulse!"

"Move, Staravia. Quick Attack, then Aerial Ace!"

"Stop it, Azura! Confusion!"

The pace of battle skyrocketed. Azura's Dark Pulse went safely underneath the speedy Staravia. Damion's bird Pokémon snapped into a dive bomb with Aerial Ace ready to go, but was stopped in its tracks by Azura's psychic blast.

"Yes! Now Pursuit, ground it!"

"Behind you, Staravia! Wing Attack!"

Milo's eyes narrowed as Staravia perfectly intercepted the Dark attack by beating Azura with its wings, bringing her tumbling back down.

 _Are you alright?_

 _Definitely_ , came her determined response, _let me back at him._

"Alright, girl. Another Dark Pulse!"

Staravia tried to dodge downward, but Azura predicted it perfectly, and landed a huge Dark Pulse hit.

"Shoot", Damion was frustrated, "get the hell up, you sack of feathers! Get in there and fight! Aerial Ace!"

With a pained grimace, Staravia shot forward across the ground, wings aglow, aiming unerringly for Azura, who waited bravely for Milo's command;

"Now! Pursuit!"

"Staaa?"

Damion's bird was dumbfounded as its target vanished just before impact, only to slam hard into its back. With a tired squawk, Staravia allowed itself to stay down, leaving its Trainer with only one Pokémon remaining.

"Hpmh", Damion's scowl was thoroughly indicative of his mood, "Well, this last one won't take no for an answer. Geodude, get it done!"

"I'm surprised you would be so naïve, Damion", Milo's response was rather condescending, "Well, maybe not that surprised. Blaze, one more time, let's get to work."

Always ready for a fight, Blaze jumped out, giving his tail a sizable flare to show his enthusiasm. Geodude was unfazed by the fiery display, and Damion called out,

"Show him that Rock Throw, Geodude!"

"Quick Attack, Brick Break!"

Blaze crossed the makeshift battlefield in a flash, crashing into Geodude. The Quick Attack didn't do much damage, but it threw off the Rock Pokémon just enough to allow Blaze the time he needed to land a savage Brick Break that left his opponent reeling.

"Quit fooling around, Geodude! Magnitude!"

Time slowed for Milo. He knew Blaze was trapped. There was no running from a Magnitude, especially if Geodude managed a particularly powerful attack. A thought struck him – there was one place the attack would surely not touch…

"Blaze, get on top of Geodude!"

The Playful Pokémon still took a fair amount of damage as the attack began before he could get off the ground, but he managed to follow Milo's bizarre instructions perfectly. With an impressive leap, he landed squarely on Geodude's head, grabbing on tightly to weather the Magnitude attack.

"What are you doing?" Damion was absolutely nonplussed, "Shake that thing off! Rock Polish!"

Seeing that Magnitude had subsided, Milo gave his next order, "Focus Punch him into the ground, then get your distance!"

Unfortunately for Geodude, the Focus Punch was more than enough to put it out of commission. Another clean sweep victory for Milo left Damion Parr fuming and spluttering.

"It's not like this even matters", he finally managed, "I'm still going to top anyone and everyone. You just wait."

With that bit of petulance, he scowled and went back the way he'd come. Milo quickly got out some potions to fix up Ferra, and before too long she was feeling perfectly fine.

"Hey, all three of you, that was really well done! Blaze, I'm proud of you for fighting through that Magnitude like you did. Your endurance has been improving, pal."

 _Woohoo_ , chimed in Aurora merrily, _go team! Good win! We're the best! We're the best!_

Amaya walked over and punched Milo in the shoulder, a sure sign of affection, saying "Nice win, Milo."

"Ow! Uh, thanks. One of us had to kick his butt."

Suddenly, Azura's ears perked up,

 _Milo…Did you hear that?_

"Hear what? Azura, is someone else here?"

Aurora noticed as well, and bounded over to the Umbreon, whom she had begun to idolize,

 _'Sup, 'Zura? You talking about that Gible that was watching us?_

"Wait, Aurora, what Gible?"

Amaya cut in, tired of hearing only half the conversation, "Hey, Milo, fill me in here. What's up?"

"Aurora says there's been a Gible watching us for a while. Hey, come out!"

Sure enough, from behind one of the rocks a ways down the path from where they'd had their battle emerged the small Dragon type, wearing a fierce look,

"Gib gib! Gible gib!"

"Well. Hey there, little guy."

Amaya took a step back, and her hand went to her belt; "He looks kind of pissed off…"

"Vee!"

Aurora jumped in between Milo and the visitor and protested on his behalf.

 _No! He's very nice! He wants to be strong, just like us! He told me so!_

"Aurora…were you talking to this Gible while we were battling?"

 _Yep!_ She smiled, apparently quite proud of herself, _His name's Drake._

Drake stepped forward now, past Aurora, and looked Milo in the eye, pointing a small claw at Blaze, who was still quite perplexed;

"Gib gible gib!"

Azura pawed gently at Milo's leg, and he looked down at her for an explanation;

 _Milo, this Gible wants to join us, but wants us to prove ourselves to him. He'd like to fight Blaze._

 _So…If Blaze beats him, he'll come with us? Why Blaze?_

 _Because_ , answered Azura simply, _he watched our battle._

Milo's apprehension slowly turned to excitement at the prospect of a new addition to his team, and a grin spread across his face;

"Alright then, Drake, we'll take you on. Blaze, what do you think?"

The energetic Fire-type smiled, _Eh, I'm a bit sore, but I can take this little guy down if he wants to pick a fight._

Barking his approval, Drake waddled over to take up position across from Blaze on the makeshift field they'd just used to defeat Damion.

"Let him go first, Blaze, let's see what this Gible's got up his sleeve."

Drake needed no second invitation, and his claw began to burn with an eerie flame as he ran at Blaze.

"Careful Blaze, that's a Dragon Claw! Jump straight up, and come down with a Blaze Kick!"

Blaze leaped upwards and landed with a fiery foot on the unsuspecting Drake, but the attack that would have felled most weak wild Pokémon seemed only to anger the Land Shark. He got up with an angry look before diving into the earth, burrowing a hole for himself as fast as his small claws could move.

Amaya, who was watching the proceedings with her usual passive interest, raised an eyebrow and asked,

"What? Is that…Dig? That's not bad…"

Milo refused to be distracted, and advised his Monferno, "Get moving, Blaze. We don't know where he'll come up."

Blaze began flashing to and fro with a flurry of Quick Attacks and a Double Team. After a few tense seconds, the middle of their battling area exploded in a shower of earth as Drake, unsure of where to hit Blaze, had gone straight for the middle to cover the most possible ground. Unfortunately for Blaze, the strategy was both intelligent and effective. The Playful Pokémon was caught near the edge of the blast, and went flying a good ways, before getting back up with narrowed eyes: he meant business now.

 _An attack that large from a Pokémon so small should leave it tired,_ Milo realized, _now is our chance to counter!_

"Quick, Blaze! Mach Punch before he recovers!"

With his pride now at stake, Blaze shot towards the Gible with ferocious speed, landing a truly massive Mach Punch that all but knocked the small Dragon out. Milo quickly fished an empty Luxury Ball from his belt.

"Can't ask for much more proof than that; you're coming with us, Drake!"

The ball rolled about on the ground, and actually bounced quite violently once or twice before it pinged, completing the official capture.

"Yes! Great going, Blaze! I'm so proud of you, buddy."

Blaze puffed his chest out confidently, as the rest of the team came over to congratulate him. Ferra was particularly awed, as she generally was by any display of battling prowess.

 _That was a really strong Mach Punch, Blaze. How'd you do it?_

The kindly Monferno winked down at his young companion, _I'll try and show you next time we train. Right now I'm a bit too tired, though…That Dig was nothing to sneeze at. Hey, Milo, let's meet Drake!_

Milo nodded, and released the newly captured Gible.

"Gible gib!"

The little Pokémon smiled fiercely up at his new Trainer before turning to acknowledge his four teammates. As the Pokémon all passed around introductions, Amaya stood herself at Milo's side and commented;

"You have to be the luckiest dang Trainer I've ever heard of."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"After everything that's already happened, a Gible, which by the way will be a _freaking Garchomp_ eventually, just shows up and literally asks to be captured? Wow."

Milo grinned and shrugged, "What do you want me to do about it? I can't help if the way I act attracts people and Pokémon who want to travel with me. I mean, you literally just showed up and asked to come along, too, remember?"

"Yeah", she answered with a sly grin, "but you didn't _capture_ me." She punched Milo in the shoulder, and went back to her pack to get a snack and tend to her team. Milo rubbed his shoulder ruefully as he watched her walk away before turning his attention back to his own Pokémon.

Drake was apparently explaining himself to the team, but stopped short as Milo approached.

"Hey. Sorry, didn't mean to interrupt. Mind if I listen in?"

"Gible gib?" Drake gave him a questioning look, confused as to how Milo could 'listen in'.

Milo sighed, and warned his new Pokémon, "Don't get freaked out by what's about to happen."

He closed his eyes, took a breath, and stretched out with his mind towards the little Dragon.

 _Hey, Drake. Nice to meet you, officially._

 _WHAA! Wait, you're kidding… You can't actually understand me like this, can you?_

 _You bet I can. It's a good time._

 _…Well. That's weird. I'll start over, then…_

 **Drake – one week ago**

"Drake, this is the last straw!"

The Gabite leader of their little community glared down at him with a face that would have cowed any of the other Gible into submission, but not Drake.

"Last straw? Why?" He challenged angrily, "What are you afraid of?"

Bigjaw dropped his voice to a dangerous hiss, "We have tolerated your…disruptive behaviors until now, but if you do not reform and relinquish these futile ambitions then you will be _banished_!"

At this point, the other Gible present at his 'trial' were nervously whispering at him to drop the issue and agree with Bigjaw. Drake, however, refused to back down. He'd come too far to change now.

"No! You can't force me to live some small life and never be anything but just another Gible! I _will_ be Garchomp someday, and nothing you do or say will stop me!"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!" roared the taller Gabite, "You know as well as the rest of us that few Gible ever become Gabite, and only a handful ever become Garchomp! Your reckless ambition will upset the careful order of our proud society if you cannot curb your lust for power!"

"What, so I should just quit because my chances are too small? Is that what you want?"

His heart burned with a fire he'd never felt before. He knew – he just _knew_ , that he was destined to be Garchomp someday, no matter how slim the odds were. He could feel it in his bones. If not even Bigjaw could understand his fervor, then maybe it really was time to strike out on his own. On the rock pedestal in front of him, the leader of their cave community sighed, composing himself before he answered;

"Drake, nobody wants you to give up. We see and admire your fighting spirit. We only wish that you could perhaps… direct it more productively towards the ways of our people. Accept and follow our laws. No more picking fights to grow stronger, no more going away for hours, alone, 'to train'. Stay here and be content."

Adrenaline coursed through the idealistic Gible, and he answered for the last time, "I'm sorry, Bigjaw, but I can't lay aside my destiny for your rules of comfort. I can't do it. If there's no place for me to follow my dream here, then I'll go. Goodbye, Bigjaw."

The Gabite, as well as his fellow Gible, called out to him, yelling for him to stop, to come back, but he shut them out. Growing more determined with every step, he broke into a run, sprinting out into the sunlight beyond the cave he'd called home his whole life.

-o-

 _So_ , he concluded, _I wandered about for a while, and then decided that the best way to grow would be to find a Trainer. I watched various humans that passed by, but none of them seemed competent enough to propel me towards becoming Garchomp. Then I saw you battle that other guy, and I just got this feeling that you were the one. I talked to – it's Aurora, right? – yeah, Aurora, and she confirmed what I suspected. So here we are._

"That's a heck of a story", said Milo, "I'm honored that you think I'm the one. I'll certainly do everything I can to make sure you evolve into Garchomp. For now, though, let me fix you up. Blaze sure knows how to dish out a beating, after all."

Drake gratefully accepted the medications that Milo produced from his pack, and before long he was back to perfect fitness. Milo returned his team, with the exception of Aurora, so they could get additional rest after their fights, and looked to Amaya,

"Alright, ready to move on?"

She was petting Leon while munching on what appeared to be fruit snacks. Seeing Milo trying to get her attention, she pulled her headphones off and asked,

"Huh? What, did you want to get going? Yeah, alright."

She nudged her Shinx off of her lap, put away her bag of snacks, and was ready to hit the road seconds later.

Milo was grateful that nothing else of any note happened in the next few hours. As they passed under the southern end of the Bike Route, Milo began looking out for a good place to make camp. They had plenty of strong Pokémon with them, but it was nonetheless dangerous to be caught unprepared at night.

"I think we should set up for the night soon, Amaya. We should probably aim to be done making camp before dark."

"Okay. I'll be honest, Milo, I've never done this camping thing before."

Aurora, who was nestled contentedly against Milo's chest, held safe in his arms, perked up and asked,

 _Do we get to make a fire?_

 _Hmm? Yep, that's right. We'll have a campfire. I'll probably get Blaze to help us out._

Spying a relatively bare patch of ground a ways off the main path, Milo announced their arrival;

"This looks like a good spot, we'll camp here. Come on out, everyone, I'll need your help setting up!"

As the rest of his Pokémon appeared, Milo began assigning jobs to make sure they got set up quickly. It was early evening now, and the sun would be gone behind the trees in only an hour or two.

Milo and Amaya got out three tents; one for each Trainer, and one for the smaller Pokémon, who would no doubt relish the chance to sleep outside of their Pokéballs.

 _Woohoo! Camping time!_ Aurora was once again ecstatic, _Can I help? Please, please?_

"Yes", he answered aloud, "everyone's going to help. Drake and Azura, can you two go gather some wood, so Blaze can light the fire?"

The pair of them nodded, and wandered off into the trees to get suitable firewood. Milo turned next to Blaze and pointed at one of the tents,

"Alright. Until they get back, help me get this one set up, Blaze. You two", he addressed Aurora and Ferra, "when I point out where the stakes are going, it'll be your job to put them in the ground, alright?"

As Milo and his team got down to work, Amaya and her Pokémon were doing their best to do the same. Coral and Granite were too big to be much help, so she, Terrus, and Leon all puzzled over how on earth the tent was supposed to go up. Milo and Blaze quickly had their own tent erected, and as the two younger Pokémon eagerly set to their task of pounding the stakes into the ground, Amaya finally gave in and asked for help;

"Milo, how'd you get yours up that fast? I can't figure out which parts go where on this darn thing!"

"Huh? Oh, here, let me show you. Ah, you've uh…you've got it laid out upside down."

The Twinleaf Trainer growled in frustration as Milo took over and demonstrated.

"How'd you get so good at that anyway? Does the JPTA do field trips?"

Milo grinned, "Nah. I took an elective a few years back called 'Travelling Trainer Basics'. It was a blow-off course, but now I'm glad some of it stuck at least."

"They have _classes_ for this kind of thing there? That's nuts."

After he showed her how to put her own tent up, he left her with her Pokémon to put up the extra tent, as Drake and Azura returned with bundles of wood. Milo carefully picked out just enough wood to get the fire going, and arranged it in a teepee shape before having Blaze use a light Ember to get it burning.

"One last thing to do, then", Milo said triumphantly, "and that's eat! Who wants hot dogs?"

The team sat around and Milo roasted some of the hot dogs he'd packed over the fire. Ferra particularly enjoyed them, as did Blaze, who ate four. Of Amaya's Pokémon, only Coral was willing to try them, and the majestic Milotic found that she simply couldn't get enough, as long as they had ketchup. This was hilarious to watch, but unfortunate for their food supplies. The extra dozen hot dogs Milo had packed disappeared in less than half an hour as Coral kept on requesting more.

"Sorry", he finally said, "That was the last one."

Coral was disappointed for a moment, but then curled herself up contentedly like an overgrown python and gazed at the fire. By nine o'clock, they'd finished eating and were all sitting around the fire, each wrapped in their own thoughts. Milo noticed that Ferra was already asleep, leaned up on a log, and Aurora's eyelids were beginning to droop as well.

"Alright", he began, forcing himself up, "let's get you two in your tent so you can get some sleep."

He silently thanked his lucky stars that he received no protestation, and before long, they were joined by Leon, at Amaya's request. Blaze went as well;

 _Someone ought to keep an eye on the kiddies, after all._

Milo nodded, but he knew Blaze really just wanted to go to sleep.

 _Milo_ , Azura stood up and looked at her Trainer, her amber eyes reflecting the firelight warmly, _I'm going to settle in. If you don't mind, I'll share your tent with you._

 _Sure_ , he smiled, _I'll be in before too long._

With that, it was only Milo and Amaya left outside, sitting next to one another as the fire quietly popped and crackled with a life of its own.

For a few minutes, a peaceful calm settled on Milo. He was quite content to sit in the warm air, by the fire, with his friend and his Pokémon team.

"…Milo?" Amaya asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"What's this about for you? Travelling, training, all of it; what do you do it for?"

"…Never thought I'd hear that from you of all people. Why the question?"

"I don't know. Just – I was thinking about it."

The two young trainers stared up at the stars together. Milo paused before offering an answer;

"Part of me feels like doing all this will prove to everyone else that my different ideas actually work. Mostly, though, I guess I just enjoy it. Geez, this sounds so cheesy, but – whenever I see my team I just feel like I couldn't see myself doing anything else. Know what I mean?"

"Yeah, sort of."

"What about you?"

Amaya said nothing, and after a second Milo peered over to find her brow furrowed, as though she was quite concerned.

"I enjoy it too…but I feel like I _have_ to do this. This is the only option I have."

"I don't follow. Why do you _have_ to be a Trainer?"

"I…have to prove I'm not weak. I have to prove it to the world, and to me."

"Nobody thinks you're weak, 'Maya. Your strength is, like, off the charts. Your Pokémon are stronger than mine – the only reason I beat you is because we're fast enough to get out of the way."

"You don't understand. I…can you promise not to talk about this to anyone else?"

Milo looked curiously over at his new friend. It was unheard of for her to actually open up this way.

"Of course. What's up?"

"I wasn't always so…you know, Amaya-y. I used to be nice, outgoing, cheerful, all that stuff. Back then, I still had my older sister."

"You have a sister?"

"Had", was her cold, angry response. Milo was about to apologize when he heard Amaya take a shuddering breath and continue, "She's _not_ my family any more. She's in jail."

Another pause.

"Seven years ago, when Galactic was hitting their stride, they came all the way out to Twinleaf to recruit people. My sister, Maxie, was an ambitious teenager with some moderate talent as a Trainer. She saw an opportunity to escape Twinleaf and really make an impact on the world. When she told me she was thinking of going, I freaked out. I begged her not to go."

"She…she left anyway?"

A dark chuckle cracked through Amaya's lips, "Oh, she did more than that. We had always been thick as thieves, Maxie and I, but when I tried to stop her joining Galactic she blew up at me. She screamed at me that I was weak, I didn't understand, I would never amount to as much as she could. As a nine year old little sister hearing that…it left a mark. I had a Feebas at the time that I'd caught when she and I went fishing one time. After Maxie left, I trained the heck out of my only Pokémon, and soon enough I had Coral. That's why I am who I am now. I can never do enough to prove to myself that all those things Maxie yelled in my face were wrong. I don't think I'll ever be able to really put it behind me."

Milo was shocked. He couldn't imagine that kind of betrayal. He knew that if Marcus had ever done something similar, he would've been totally broken, and Amaya was no different.

"Amaya…I'm so sorry."

"Yeah. Me too. Still, we're not so different."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you and Marcus are close, but you're still in his shadow. Until you _do_ something, you'll be Marcus' little brother, not Milo."

"I mean, yeah, but I don't see that as something I _have_ to do. That's more like a challenge I've accepted."

"Huh", Amaya mulled over his response briefly, before admitting, "I'd never really thought of it like that. That's – I think that's a really cool way to see it."

Milo smiled, happy to have helped in some small way, and the two Trainers lay by the campfire a while longer, gazing silently at the stars, until Amaya stood up without warning;

"I'm going to bed. Milo…thanks for talking. I guess I didn't know I needed that."

"Sure", he answered without moving, "anytime you need to talk, you know I'm here."

She got into her tent, but Milo sat outside a while longer, thinking over what he'd just learned. He'd never understood Amaya's aggressive impassivity, but knowing what he did now, it suddenly made perfect sense. He couldn't relate, exactly, but he could at least understand.

He sat quietly, letting his mind slowly empty itself out, and eventually he roused himself and quietly got into his tent. Azura had fallen asleep next to his sleeping bag, and though he tried not to wake her, she stirred, and happily snuggled in close to her Trainer.

 _Tomorrow_ , he thought, _we'll hit Hearthome. After that… we head out for Gym number three._

He fell asleep with a grin of anticipation on his face. His next challenge was fast approaching.

 **Author's Notes: So, first things first, a big shout out to Lunar Knight Archangel for suggesting/providing the character of Ark.**

 **Second, what did you think of the backstory on Ferra's parents and the Order? How about the life chat with Amaya? Let me know your opinion with a review! I love hearing from readers!**

 **Gameboy1001: Hopefully this chapter shows how/when Galactic fits into this particular version of Sinnoh.**

 **Finally, don't forget to follow and/or favorite so that you can keep up with this story as I keep going, and other people can find it too! Thanks so much for reading! Cheers!**

 **-NanobotEX**


	12. Chapter 12 - Spotlight

Milo Chapter 12 – Spotlight

"All ready?"

"Yeah", answered Amaya, still stuffing bits and bobs into her pack, "just about there."

"C'mon", Milo was itching to go, "We still have a full day's travel if we're gonna make Hearthome by tonight. We really have to get going."

As usual, Milo's team had elected to travel under their own power, while Amaya had only Leon out of his Pokéball.

 _Milo!_ It was Drake. He had a fiery look in his eyes that made Milo rather suspicious.

 _Yeah, Drake?_

 _When do I get to start training?_

Milo thought quickly, trying to satisfy his newest team member.

 _Uh…How about lunch today? We can't really make extra stops while we're travelling here._

 _Lunch? Are you sure I can't start sooner?_

The young Jubilife Trainer was at a loss for how to satiate the Land Shark Pokémon's persistent eagerness, but Blaze jumped in with a solution;

 _I think I can help. Drake_ , he began, _I know you're probably hoping to focus on strength, but on this team we work on speed first, and then power. That way we can pick and choose the best opportunities to strike._

 _Is that right_ , asked the Gible. He seemed to consider this before a grin spread slowly across his face.

 _That's a clever strategy, I approve. Speed it is._

When the group did stop for lunch, and Drake began training in earnest with Blaze and Azura, Milo was immediately impressed by the Gible's battle intelligence. His instincts were far beyond what one would expect from a newly captured wild Pokémon. He made up for what he lacked in raw speed by dodging in surprising and unexpected ways. The best way to describe his remarkable ability was that he was just more _comfortable_ on a battlefield than most Pokémon. He felt right at home squaring off against any opponent. It came naturally to him without thought or effort. He still lost to both of Milo's stronger team members, but he gave both Blaze and Azura a much closer fight than they had anticipated.

It was shortly after lunch that Milo received a call. He answered, and an image of Jenks, their new 'media manager', appeared.

"Hey there, Milo! Is Amaya around, I hope?"

"Yeah, she's right here. What's up, Jenks? We're a few hours from Hearthome."

"Oh, perfect! Listen", began the reporter excitedly, "I've got a great opportunity for the both of you. Ever heard of the Hearthome Rookie Challenge?"

"No", answered Amaya immediately. Milo, however, thought for a moment before responding, "Actually, yeah. Isn't that the kickoff of the whole Rookie Challenge Circuit? It's a pretty big chance for people just starting – hang on, are you saying you want _us_ to compete? That's one of the biggest rookie events of the battling season!"

"I've got two spots left", said Jenks with a smile, "if you're interested."

Both Trainers looked at each other and answered together, "We're in!"

"Perfect", Jenks' face grew serious again, "now listen up; because of the Challenge the city is hopping with media – media who will be on the lookout for rising stars like you. We're going to sneak you in, and you'll stay at the Gym. Marcus can't wait to see you."

Never in a million years would Milo have guessed that working with a 'media manager' would provide any kind of adventure or excitement, but just hours after his phone conversation with Jenkins he was forced to admit he was glad he'd agreed to play along.

As the two Trainers emerged from the trees bordering Hearthome, Jenks jogged over, holding two bland colored jackets and hats. It was surprisingly fun, Milo noticed, slinking down side streets and back alleys in disguise to the maintenance entrance of Marcus' Gym.

"Hey", called a voice from down the hallway as they entered, "Hey, that entrance is reserved for personnel only. I'm going to have to – oh, hey guys! Jenks, you sly dog, I should've known you'd never just use the front door."

The two hugged, and Jenks bantered right back, "Ah, you know me too well, my friend. Hey, brought you our two young friends."

"So you did", smiled the Gym Leader, "Good to see you both. Amaya, Milo, I'm looking to seeing how you measure up to the class of the year. So far the two of you are ahead of the pace, nobody else has gotten through Roark, much less Gardenia."

"Ah", Milo saw an opportunity to twist his older brother's arm, "interesting that you should mention _dear_ Gardenia."

Marcus was instantly uncomfortable, but Milo carried on, "She specifically told me before we left Eterna that she just cannot wait to see you. She's _ever_ so anxious about the plans you've made."

Amaya was barely containing her laughter, but Marcus' face twitched in frustration before he punched his younger brother in the arm.

"Bah, she put you up to this. Come on, you're done, let's get you both settled."

It was around dinnertime when the group of them arrived at the Gym, and Marcus was obliging enough to let them use the training facilities inside. He even agreed to give them some coaching, 'for the sake of brotherly affection'. Both of them knew he wanted to see Milo succeed…and he also couldn't pass up the chance to prove how much better he still was. All of Milo's Pokémon joined in; the experienced, the young, and the new. They trained for a few hours before bed, and went to sleep in the guest rooms at the Gym.

-o-

"You ready?"

Yeah", answered Milo, as Marcus prepped him for the opening ceremonies the next morning, "any last advice?"

"Sure", answered Marcus, "remember that a tournament isn't just a bunch of battles in a row. It's also one big long mental game. You have to win that, too, to be successful in a tournament. Don't play all your cards unless you have to. Got it?"

"Yeah, I think so", answered the younger brother.

With that, Milo took a deep breath, and heard the announcer outside call, "Finally, from Sinnoh's most reputable Trainer academy in Jubilife, please welcome the younger brother of Hearthome's own beloved Gym Leader…MILO!"

The young Trainer waved nervously to the crowd as he emerged from his tunnel into one of Hearthome's most notable battle arenas; Fantina Stadium, named after Marcus' reitred predecessor. As introductions were made, Milo glanced about at the other tournament participants. Amaya he knew, but the rest were unfamiliar – except for Damion Parr.

 _Ugh_ , Milo thought to himself, _of course he's here. I hate that guy._

The battles began, and it was quickly clear that Milo, Amaya, and Damion were the only real contenders. It was odd for Milo to see Damion's ridiculously predictable strategies completely overrun his opponents – he'd only ever seen the Veilstone graduate lose, and badly at that. Nonetheless, nobody in attendance was surprised that the graduates from the three most noted schools of training in Sinnoh shot straight through to the quarterfinals of the season's first rookie tournament.

The quarterfinals were four on four battles, and Milo was up against a Trainer from Sunnyshore. He had gotten through the first few rounds using Drake and Aurora. He hoped that not using his two powerhouses would veil his full potential until the real show – the final. They'd also be fresh when they got there, if all went to plan. At this point, the eight Trainers left in the tournament had few secrets from one another in terms of team and strategy. Milo was beginning to understand what Marcus meant about the mental game of the overall tournament.

He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He needed to focus all his energy on this battle right now. He'd seen his opponent's fights and she wasn't bad. Her name was Nova, and her team was fairly diverse and partially evolved. She had one major weakness, but it would be difficult to exploit.

"What an excellent display of battling", came the announcer's voice, "please give it up for our first semifinalist – Damion!"

The battling had been going on all day. The quarterfinals were the last battles of Day One, and only four Trainers would make it through to Day Two.

 _One more battle today, guys. Let's finish today strong._

As the applause died down, the booming voice sounded again over the stadium speakers, "And now for our next quarterfinal matchup! The Jubilife phenomenon and the Sunnyshore surprise! Put your hands together for…Milo and Nova!"

Nova was a curious-looking but very cheery girl. Her large glasses and eternally bouncy pigtails really made her stand out in one's memory. She had good instincts, and knew her way around a battle fairly well, though she lacked experience and raw knowledge. Still, she'd made the quarterfinals with a solid team and wasn't to be underestimated.

The two shook hands and took up position in their respective Trainer boxes and waited for the referee;

"Trainers at the ready…Call your first Pokémon!"

"Aurora! Let's get to work!"

"Luxio, time for battle!"

Milo started the battle off, calling out his first move while he formed a strategy;

"Aurora, Quick Attack!"

With a speed that belied her size and youth, Aurora struck the unprepared Luxio while commenting to Milo mentally;

 _He looks like Leon, but – take that! – but grown up. How do I beat him?_

"Protect, Aurora, quick!"

Milo's preemptive counter came not a moment too soon, as Nova tried to strike back, "Luxio, Thunder Fang!"

The attack bounced harmlessly off Aurora's Protect as Milo gave her strategic instructions;

 _Aurora, listen carefully. He wants to get in close to hit you and paralyze you, don't stay close to him long enough for that to happen. Stay just far enough away that he thinks he can get to you._

 _Yup! Okay!_

Aurora backed off to a manageable distance, baiting Luxio into an attempt to close in. Nova took the bait right away;

"Get in there, Luxio! Crunch!"

"Dodge, Aurora, then Tackle!"

Aurora hopped nimbly to the right as the Crunch flew safely past here. She landed, planted her feet, and launched into a Tackle that caught Luxio square in the side, sending it sprawling, only to come back up growling.

 _Remember to keep your distance!_

"Crunch, again!"

Aurora remembered, but just too late; Luxio sprang forward before Aurora could regain her distance, and bit down hard, throwing her across the field, to land in front of her Trainer.

"Are you okay, Aurora?!"

 _Yeah…_ she responded, with a shake of her head as she stood, _but that kinda hurt. He's not nice. I'm gonna get him back for that._

Milo grinned, just grateful that she was alright. He encouraged her mentally before calling his next move.

 _Yeah, you get back in there and show him who's boss._

"Let's see that training, Aurora! Rapid fire Quick Attack!"

She was more serious now than Milo could remember seeing her, and she turned into a small, brown, adorable blur as the flummoxed Luxio took one hit after another, unable to keep up with her. A more experienced Trainer might have recovered the situation, but Nova could only stammer as her Spark Pokémon took hit after hit, unsure how to counter. Within ten seconds, it was over. Aurora, panting lightly, trotted back to her Trainer with a satisfied grin, as Luxio collapsed on the field.

"Luxio is unable to continue, Eevee is the winner! Nova, your next Pokémon!"

"Okay, okay…umm…Shellos! Time to battle!"

Milo knew Aurora could probably still match and even beat Shellos, but he saw an opportunity to spread the battling duties amongst his team members and demonstrate his trust in them.

"Alright, Aurora, come on back! Ferra, you're in! Let's get to work!"

Ferra was overjoyed; she hadn't expected to feature in such an important battle.

 _YES! I won't let you down, Papa!_

 _I know you won't Ferra, but you need to focus. I'll still pull you out at the first sign of trouble._

With that, the round began. This time, Nova called the first move;

"Water Pulse, Shellos!"

Sticking to the basics, to build Ferra's confidence, Milo called his team's go-to move;

"Quick Attack, get out of the way! Then Focus Blast!"

Milo's training had already paid dividends; Ferra's Focus Blast landed – a direct hit, almost before the Water Pulse ended. Nova tried to keep up her offensive;

"Turn, Shellos, and Mud Bomb! Keep firing!"

"Okay, Ferra, time to play patient. Just keep dodging for now."

It was a testament to her incredible mental discipline that Ferra obeyed unquestioningly as four, five, six, seven Mud Bombs flew past her. She had absolute faith in her Papa, when even Blaze might have shot a few questioning looks at Milo by now.

Just as Milo began to think he'd misjudged the Sea Slug Pokémon, he saw his opening. As the latest Mud Bomb flew straight at Ferra, he made a move that shocked the crowd;

"Stop dodging! Focus Blast that one!"

Ferra complied perfectly, once again. She'd said nothing, but she was inwardly glad that she had made it that long, her breath was getting short from the exertion of all that dodging. The young Riolu's Focus Blast cancelled the Mud Bomb with a fantastic explosion, and the Emanation Pokémon could guess at what her next instruction would be.

"Now jump in, Cross Chop through that smoke!"

"Watch out, Shellos! Mud Sla – no!"

Nova's idea had been the right one, but it was too little too late, as Ferra came barreling out of the smoke to land a perfect Cross Chop which dealt significant damage. Milo wasn't done yet;

"Crunch! Throw it!"

Ferra had been working incredibly hard to add to her move list, and the results were magnificent as she Crunched the Shellos perfectly and claimed another victory for Milo.

"Shellos is unable to battle, Riolu is the winner! Nova, your third Pokémon!"

"Geez", said Nova quietly, "even his baby Riolu is too fast to keep up with. Time to get desperate."

Milo could see doubt etched on his opponent's face as she stared uncertainly at her next Pokéball, and he guessed what was about to happen. The trickiest part of this battle so far was coming up.

"Alright, Buizel, I really need you! Time to battle!"

"Bui bui!" The Sea Weasel came out with a confident bark. This Buizel, Milo knew, was a loose cannon. It was easily Nova's strongest Pokémon, but its tendency to disobey her in battle made it her biggest liability as well. Still, it was strong enough to cause any of Milo's Pokémon problems even without taking orders from its Trainer.

"Alright", called Milo, "I'll go with Blaze! Come on, bud, let's get to work!"

Blaze emerged, ready for anything. He set himself carefully, knowing he had a significant disadvantage as a Fire type. He needed to be ready to dodge first and ask questions later.

"Buizel, Aqua Jet!"

"Get out of there, Blaze!"

Blaze moved his fastest, but this Buizel was a menace. It read Blaze's dodge, and of its own accord turned the Aqua Jet into an Aqua Tail that left Blaze reeling.

 _Ow! This thing is dangerous, Milo_ , warned Blaze.

 _You're right. We'll go for hit and run, try to keep it chasing shadows. You may have to tough this one out, take a few hits._

Blaze had been dodging Water Guns and Swifts on autopilot, but Milo switched it up;

"Now, Low Kick! Then Double Team cover and back off!"

Blaze dodged the next attack more closely, and swung a Low Kick to level his opponent as it flew by.

"Buizel, get up, come on!" Nova was still trying – mostly in vain – to keep a handle on Buizel's actions.

"Now, Water Gun!"

Buizel ignored her completely, and flew into another Aqua Jet attack, which Milo thought was actually a better play than the Water Gun that Nova had asked for. Blaze still had no answer for the speed of the Sea Weasel that rivaled his own, and he took this Aqua Jet head on. He was really showing the signs of the hits he'd taken.

 _I'm about to pull the plug here, Blaze. Think Azura can take him?_

 _Not yet. Leave me in a bit longer_ , responded Blaze as he landed a quick Fire Punch, _We don't have anyone else as fast as him. He's as quick as me and I'm the fastest we've got. At least let me wear him down before we switch._

 _Alright_ , confirmed Milo warily, _but be careful_.

He could see that Buizel was indeed being worn down. It was breathing heavily, and was covered in scuffs and scratches, courtesy of Blaze, who wasn't looking much better. Despite the type difference, it appeared that these two were evenly matched.

"Okay, Blaze", Milo called, taking a more firm handle on the battle at hand, "try this. Quick Attack into Brick Break."

Blaze again stopped his automatic dodging, streaking straight at Buizel almost too fast to see.

"Buizel, watch out! Dodge with Quick Attack!"

Buizel chose instead to fire a bold Water Gun straight at Blaze, playing right into Milo's plan.

"Now! Jump, Brick Break down!"

Blaze leapt acrobatically over the Water Gun and landed a menacing Brick Break that sent Buizel crashing into the wall. The whole crowd fell into a hush, waiting to see what had become of Nova's disobedient Water type. Blaze stood in the middle of the field. His usual swagger was gone; he was panting and glaring at the dust cloud that was his rival.

Suddenly a ripple went through the cloud, and in the blink of an eye, Buizel's Aqua Jet slammed into Blaze yet again. The Playful Pokémon slid across the field to stop in front of Milo. He tried to pull himself up again, but fell back down, unconscious. Milo's eyes narrowed. He never expected to lose Blaze, not even to this Buizel.

"Monferno is unable to battle, Buizel is the winner! Milo, call your next Pokémon!"

"Uh…good job, Buizel. I guess." Nova tried halfheartedly to compliment her wayward Pokémon, but still the Sea Weasel blew her off as if she wasn't even there.

Milo set himself, took a breath, and returned Blaze before making his next move;

"Alright. Now it's for real. You used your best, so now it's my turn. Azura, let's get to work!"

The shiny Umbreon stared coolly at Buizel, as Milo gave her silent instructions.

 _That thing matched Blaze for speed, it's tough. Still, he wore it down, one or two good hits and it's done, for sure. Stay on your toes and let's wrap this up quick._

 _Let's do it, Milo. You and I like always, no better team._

Milo felt his confidence coming back to him. He and Azura had more than enough up their sleeve to kick this thing to the curb. She was right; Blaze might be faster, but she was his best partner in battle, hands down.

"Alright, Buizel, please! Water Gun!"

It wasn't to be. Just as Milo suspected, Buizel again reverted to its favorite move and launched its fearsome Aqua Jet.

"Stand your ground. Dark Pulse."

Buizel hadn't expected such a jump in power level, and was blown back by Azura's signature move. Still, it stumbled to its feet, ready for more. This time, despite Nova's calls for Swift, Buizel chose Aqua Tail.

"Roll, Shadow Ball."

Azura rolled smoothly to her left, coming up with the Shadow Ball already formed. Buizel barely had time to register the fact that it had missed before the Ghost move knocked it out of the battle.

"Buizel is unable to battle, Umbreon is the winner! Nova, your final Pokémon!"

Nova huffed and said to herself, "Well. That was…something. At least I didn't get swept, but Buizel is getting worse, if anything. He hardly obeyed me at all. One thing at a time; go Roselia!"

Milo smirked; he knew he and Azura were thinking along similar lines. They'd just come from taking out a full-blown Roserade at the Eterna Gym, they could handle a Roselia.

"Stun Spore, Roselia!"

"Night", answered Milo easily.

The field was soon covered in Darkness, obscuring everything and causing quite a commotion amongst the crowd, not to mention safely dispersing the Stun Spore.

"Now Confusion", came the Jubilife Trainer's next order.

A cry came from Roselia somewhere within the blackness and Nova was temporarily at a loss.

"Hmm…oh! Roselia, Magical Leaf!"

"Azura, end Night! Quick Attack around!"

Milo needed a better visual to orchestrate his plan and escape the unerring Magical Leaf.

"Good", he encouraged as the dark cloud lifted and she kept ahead of the homing attack, "Now get behind. You know what to do. Pinch it with Dark Pulse."

Azura knew exactly what the plan was. She stopped her Quick Attack just as she got Roselia between herself and the Magical Leaf.

"Roselia, move! Quick!"

"No you don't! Confusion!"

As the psychic blast kept the Thorn Pokémon in place, Magical Leaf hit the Grass type instead of Azura, and her Dark Pulse hit from the other side, trapping the unfortunate Roselia between the two attacks. When the commotion subsided, Nova's final Pokémon collapsed onto the dirt.

"Roselia is unable to battle, Umbreon is the winner! The match goes to Milo of Jubilife!"

The crowd exploded, having held their breath in excitement for most of the battle. The cheering was audible across the whole city, and it took almost thirty seconds for the announcer to regain control enough to announce the next quarterfinal – Amaya's battle.

As Milo walked down the tunnel to give his team to the Nurse Joy on duty, Marcus jogged up to him.

"Bro, that was insane! Where in the world did you learn to battle like that?"

Milo laughed, nervous and embarrassed, "I just…I don't know, I just kind of do what makes sense, you know? I just trust my team and think of things."

"I have never, _never_ seen that kind of connection before. Your whole team is unbelievable! I mean, nobody should be able to do that with an unevolved Eevee, a newborn Riolu, and a freshly caught Gible, and don't even get me started on your main two! That Monferno almost took down a Buizel that has earned national attention for its speed and strength!"

"Hey", called Jenks as he entered the room, "take a breath, Marcus. You sound like one of the drooling reporters I just left."

"Oh come _on,_ Jenks! Did you not just watch what I watched?"

"I did, but you're going to give your little brother a panic attack, an inflated ego, or both if you keep yelling in his face about how good he is. I will say, though, Milo, I'm more impressed than I thought I would be. I assumed you had hit top gear when – it's Blaze? – when you had Blaze against Buizel. Then you pulled out Azura and took it to another level entirely."

The three of them spent a few minutes going over some of the finer points of the battle until Nurse Joy emerged with Milo's team, all healthy. They'd only been away for five minutes at most, but when they took their place in the stands, Amaya's battle was already halfway done. Coral had made short work of a Golbat and a Beautifly, and now Granite was working his way easily through a Meditite – so easily in fact, that the round was already…

 _Oh, that's Meditite down_ , thought Milo to himself about three seconds before the referee called for Amaya's opponent's last Pokémon. Out came a Marill, and Amaya promptly switch to Terrus for about thirty seconds, which was all it took for her Grass starter to run riot over its unfortunate opponent.

"Well, that was quick", commented Milo.

"You're telling me", answered Marcus with a sigh, "she's kind of scary to watch. Usually that kind of battle is bad for entertainment value, but she's got so much power that it's almost morbidly fascinating to watch her just _do_ that to people."

"Trust me", Milo chuckled, "she wasn't even trying that hard there. When she really cares about it, it's much worse. It gets downright frightening. If she has to fight Damion Parr tomorrow, you'll see what I mean."

They found Amaya and congratulated her on her entry into the semifinals. Later that evening, seated in the lounge of Marcus' Gym, Jenks went over the rules for Day Two;

"So, the four Trainers left in the mix will be redrawn randomly to make the semifinals matchups. Those battles, as well as the final, will be a full battle, six on six – or in your case, just as many as you have."

"Cool", Milo voiced his thoughts aloud, "so it's us, Damion, and who else?"

"The fourth is an Ice-type specialist out of Snowpoint."

"Oh yeah, I remember now", said Amaya, "I wasn't impressed by him. He's par for the course at best, only got this far because the rest of his section of the bracket was weak."

Marcus chuckled, "That's a harsh assessment, but I suppose I can't really argue. Still, Amaya, you really aren't equipped to deal with Ice, with a Milotic, an Onix, a Shinx, and a Grotle. I wouldn't write him off that easy."

The Twinleaf Trainer shrugged nonchalantly. She had full confidence that she was more than strong enough to overpower any rookie Trainer, regardless of type discrepancies. Well, any rookie but Milo, of course. Jenks spoke up again,

"I almost forgot; you'll have to do a bit of media interaction before the battles get going. Milo, don't give me that face, my job is to _manage_ your media image, not hide you from them forever. You have to start learning public image sometime."

"He's right, bro", Marcus backed up the experienced journo, "I know it's awkward and feels frustrating and stupid and whatever else, but you have to do it. People want to know you. If you want to set an example, people need to see enough of you to know what you're an example of. Understand?"

"Yeah, I guess", grumbled Milo.

"Don't worry", added Jenks, "I'll be in the room to help redirect the questions if you seem uncomfortable. I think – hang on let me check – uh, yeah, you're also signed on to help with commentary on Amaya's battle, unless you two are matched together in the semifinals. Don't worry, like I said, I'll be there and it won't be a huge deal."

Milo grudgingly accepted (Amaya, once again, had no problem doing media events), and soon enough the group broke up as Jenks and Amaya went to go get some sleep.

Marcus was about to head off as well, but he caught a subtle look from Milo that asked him to stay. He hung around until they were alone, and then Milo spoke up;

"I, uh, I'm really sorry Marcus, but I got found out. The Order got found out, and it's my fault…"

Instantly serious, Marcus demanded, "The Order? How? Milo, tell me exactly what happened."

Milo told his older brother everything that had transpired with Ark, Eterna's Aura Protector. It took a while, but he was thorough, and recounted every detail.

After he finished, Marcus breathed a sigh of relief and allowed himself a grin;

"Okay. This isn't a big deal, bro, but thanks for telling me. Ordinarily, you'd be right, but in this instance it's fine, for a few reasons. First, the Order has more eyes and ears than you can imagine, so leaks tend to get patched quickly and quietly. Second, I had already assumed Amaya would know eventually, this isn't the kind of thing you can totally hide forever. Finally, the Aura Guardians. I'll tell you this – Ark Monty, whom I've met, by the way, is in for a surprise when he tells the Guardians, because they already know."

"They what?" Milo could hardly believe it.

"Oh yeah. They know all about the Extraordinary Forces Trifecta. They help us from time to time. He was one of the few Guardians who _didn't_ know. I can also fill you in on some of the history that Ark was missing in his story."

Milo leaned forward in his seat at that, "I'd love to hear more about the history of the Order!"

"I figured. Ark's suspicions are correct. The Order is the oldest organization of its kind in the world. We were formed a few centuries before the Guardians. Aura and Dark Aura were discovered at the same time, but Dark Aura was, well, darker and more mysterious, surprise-surprise. People mistrusted its power because they couldn't control it as easily, and they favored Aura. Those who did learn to use Dark Aura were shunned and outcast. Soon, these outcasts formed the Order of Shadows. At first we were thieves, vengeful and powerful, and out for payback against the towns and settlements that had thrown us out. Then came our first great leader."

"Our first great leader? How did they not show up until _after_ we were established?"

"Well, we don't consider the early Shadow Masters to be worthy of the title. They led us into shameful burglary and sabotage, hurting people and Pokémon in a blind quest for revenge. But Shadow Master Ziron changed all that. He emerged about fifty years before the Aura users finally formed the first Guardians. He reformed the Order, demanding honor and complete secrecy. We became the protectors of balance, and consigned ourselves to the shadows. It became our rule never to accept glory or credit for anything we did or anyone we helped. It was – is – our way to make up for the many long years we spent in dishonor."

"Wow. That's…something else for sure. How come we exposed ourselves when we put down the corrupt Aura Guardians?"

"That's the only time we've done anything publicly since our inception. And even then, we did nothing but act. We didn't take credit, we accepted no payment or gifts, we completed our mission and melted away, making sure that the world forgot about us. It really makes you feel small, to be a part of something so big and _so_ old, you know?"

"Yeah", answered Milo breathlessly, "it's still hard to believe I'm really a part of this. Like you said, it's really cool, though."

The brothers didn't talk much longer, as Milo's head was more than full, and they both had quite a bit to do in the morning.

-o-

Morning came all too quickly for some, and agonizingly slowly for others. Amaya emerged from her room groggy and grumpy, while Milo was already jittery with excitement. Soon Jenks emerged from yet another guest room, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Right, here's the plan. You've got one hour before the pre-match interviews, and the matchup draw will be _after_ the interviews. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah", grumbled Amaya, "We got it. Can I get some coffee?"

They finished breakfast and got dressed before heading out to the stadium. Jenks led them down a few back streets to avoid getting preemptively cornered by media, for which Milo was grateful.

All too soon, it seemed, Milo found himself seated up on a small stage, with Amaya, Damion, and the Snowpoint Ice Trainer. Each of them had a microphone, and the rest of the room was packed with dozens of journalists. Milo made a point of picking Jenks out of the crowd, it made him feel better to have an ally in the story-hungry crowd. As soon as a tournament official opened up the floor for questions, a massive clamor arose until one journalist was handed the 'master microphone' and began the interview.

"This is for Milo and Amaya: you two are the most high-profile rookies of the year so far – what do you think about the added attention you get from taking the Gym Challenge?"

Amaya shot Milo a look and a nod, and he cleared his throat and began;

"Umm, I think that's one of the hardest parts for me. I'm kind of camera shy, so it's just…you know, it feels weird. I'm not doing this for attention; I'm doing it because it's the best way to prove that the way I train is working."

Amaya leaned forward and offered her two cents, "I don't mind the screen time. I want people to _know_ me."

The pair sat back and there was another all-out scramble until the next reporter claimed the microphone.

"Another one for the both of you: what do you think might happen if you two have to battle in the semifinals? Would you rather get that over with, or save it for the final?"

A glint of competitive spirit flashed in Milo's eye as he answered first, "I'm happy to have a showdown against Amaya any time. Nobody else pushes me like she does. To answer your question, though, I'd love that to be the final…because I'm undefeated against Amaya, so history says I win the tournament if we're in the final together."

"Oh, bring it, Jubilife boy", came the immediate response from the other end of the table, "I've been catching up to you since we started, I can pretty much guarantee you we're even by now."

The reporters seemed to love the momentary sparks flying between the two friends. The rest of the interview was much the same. Damion got a bit of attention, but the boy from Snowpoint was all but forgotten as he sat in the middle of the whole scene. The vast majority of questions were directed at Milo, Amaya, or both.

Finally, it was time to end the interviews and see the semifinal matches. All the microphones were turned off and a screen behind the Trainers revealed one spot at a time…

Milo was going to fight the Snowpoint Trainer, and Amaya got the match both friends had been dying for. She got the honor of kicking Damion's butt on the big stage.

As it turned out, Milo's fight was barely worth watching. He barely had to get going before his opponent's team just fell over. The Snowpoint Trainer had three Snover, two Sneasel, and a Swinub. Milo used Blaze to roll the Snover and Sneasel, and he let Aurora handle the Swinub.

 _Well_ , he thought afterwards, _if that wasn't the most anticlimactic semifinal ever…_

He shook his head to clear his thoughts as he made his way up to the media booth to help with the commentary on Amaya's match versus Damion. At least he'd made the final, beggars couldn't always be choosers. Jenks was waiting for him, and handed him a headset.

Before he put it on, Jenks gave him some last-minute advice on commentary;

"Remember, be as impartial as you can, but also be honest. No pressure, I'm right here helping you out, yeah?"

Milo nodded, and put on his headset as the match was just about to kick off.

"Hello, my name is Robert Jenks!"

He looked expectantly at Milo, who caught on perfectly, "And I'm Milo, a rookie Trainer out of the JPTA."

Jenks laughed warmly before continuing, "Aha! I think most of us know you by now, Milo. We're coming to you live from the Fantina Stadium here in Hearthome City for the second semifinal of the Hearthome Rookie Challenge! I think we can expect a fiery match here, folks. Milo?"

"Yeah, absolutely, Robert", the name sounded odd to Milo, who was already used to calling him Jenks, "we've got a real treat here. Amaya's been running riot across Sinnoh for a couple months now, and Damion's put in a strong showing here at the first leg of the Rookie Challenge as well. These two have history, power, pride, and pedigree."

Jenks gave him a silent thumbs up, before taking over narration, "You're spot on there, this is a showdown between two of Sinnoh's most storied Trainer schools; the Twinleaf goldmine versus the Veilstone machine. Looks like we're about to kick off…and we have the first Pokémon out! This battle is underway!"

"She's gone with Grotle first", noticed Milo, "probably to start strong without giving away too much. It looks like Damion's Geodude has evolved into Graveler, we'll see if he knows how to use it."

Amaya went straight for Grass Knot, the obvious move, and brought Damion's Pokémon crashing down. Growling, Damion barked;

"Graveler, Magnitude!"

Milo offered his thoughts on the opening exchanges, "This is classic Amaya. Do the most damage possible, even if you have to take a hit to give one."

"I agree", said Jenks, "it looks like Damion got quite lucky with a strong Magnitude there…oh, but he can't get away from that Giga Drain, so most of that damage is already wasted. Whoa, here comes Stone Edge!"

Amaya watched coolly as the Stone Edge flew towards Terrus. When it was time, she ordered a counterattack;

"Now, Terrus! Energy Ball, wreck that rock! Then Razor Leaf!"

The Energy Ball blew the incoming stones to smithereens, and from the ensuing dust cloud came a vicious Razor Leaf that took Graveler down for good.

"Wow!" Jenks voiced his enthusiasm, "That was an incredible display of both power and confidence! She had to know beyond a doubt that Grotle's Energy Ball had enough power to beat Stone Edge!"

"Trust me", answered Milo, "she didn't doubt that for a second. If I know Amaya, she'll change out her Grotle now. She's made that mistake before, she won't do it again."

"Looks like you're right, Milo. Damion's called on Staravia, and we are seeing a change from Amaya…it's a Shinx!"

Milo leaned forward, eyes narrowed, "This is interesting from Amaya. She's relying on type matchup here, and showing a lot of faith in her team and her own training. That Shinx is no pushover, but it's nowhere near the level of the rest of her Pokémon."

"Well, let's see how she handles this change in situation, then. Looks like she's leading with Spark…Oh, but Staravia beat her to the punch with Aerial Ace! Wait…no way! Shinx took the hit, but bounced right back and landed Thunder Fang!"

"She'll have to be careful", noticed Milo, "she's used to her Pokémon taking quite a beating and being fine, but Shinx is still more fragile. That Aerial Ace might have done more damage than she was counting on. Here's Staravia's Quick Attack…ah, there. Shinx dodged that very well."

"Was that a bit of your own style creeping in there, Milo?"

Milo chuckled, "I'll admit, some of my team have been helping her Shinx with speed and agility lately. Looks like it worked, she's landed a Spark! Staravia can't take too many more super effective hits, I'll bet."

Unfortunately for Leon, this Staravia was a vengeful bird. As Damion called for a Wing Attack, the evolved Starling Pokémon glared angrily at the small cat and put some extra muscle into its hit.

"Crunch!" called Amaya, but with only mild success.

The Crunch landed, and mitigated some of the damage, but Leon still went flying. As he pushed himself heroically off the ground, he hazily heard Amaya yell, "You got this, Leon! Return!"

He summoned his desire, his bond to Amaya, the depth of their kindred spirits and mutual pursuit of strength and poured it into the biggest blast his small body could muster. He was satisfied to see Staravia crumple and crash into the ground, unquestionably down, before his own knees buckled and he lost consciousness.

As the crowd roared in appreciation, Jenks jumped on the commentary, "That was really special! Both Pokémon there were perfectly in sync with their Trainers' emotions."

"Definitely", agreed Milo, "I think a draw was probably the deserved result there. I know Amaya won't be happy with herself, but like you said, that was a privilege to watch. Oh yeah, she's mad now, she's called out her Milotic!"

An excited buzz swept through the crowd, Coral had already won the attention and admiration of everyone who'd been following the tournament. Damion responded with his Prinplup, but Milo knew this was already over. Amaya had that…that _look_ in her eyes that made even him shudder.

"Get ready", he said into the headset, "I think we're about to witness Amaya go all out like we haven't seen yet in this tournament. If I were you, Robert, I'd hold onto my seat. Playtime is over."

"Dragon Tail", said Amaya, in an eerily level voice.

Coral had long since picked up on the seriousness in her Trainer's – her best friend's – demeanor. Her Dragon Tail attack was swift and massive, and Prinplup flew an easy fifteen feet before he even hit the ground.

"Oh my goodness!", even Jenks was shocked, "That was unbelievable!"

He tried to continue, but the battle was still roiling down below, "Prinplup, get up! Get out of there, come on!"

Milo had never seen Damion Parr show genuine concern for his Pokémon, but the nervous tone of his voice was unmistakable – he was scared for Prinplup's sake now. He knew Coral's power was completely unmatchable.

"Keep at it", called Amaya, "Twister."

"I think this round's already over", said Milo, "she's not one to let up once she's found an advantage like this, especially not when she's mad."

True to form, Twister was followed by Ice Beam. Despite a couple feeble attempts at Metal Claw and Drill Peck, a second Ice Beam from Coral ended the round in a perfect win for Amaya, who was still glaring dangerously at her opponent.

"Oh my", Jenks tried to put himself together after the jaw-dropping display that had just played out before them, "That Milotic may just be the deciding factor in this battle, I really don't know what answer Damion could have for that kind of raw strength."

"She's not invincible", Milo's analytical mind was already picking apart Coral's performance, "She leaves gaps between her attacks because they're so large. If Damion gets over the intimidation factor, he could dodge and exploit that. She's easily drawn out when she gets frustrated. A patient and level-headed battler with enough speed and power can whittle her down."

"Well, let's see what Damion can come up with. He's called on his Machop, and opts for the Low Kick…but no, Amaya knocks him out cold! It's a one-hit KO from Milotic's Hydro Pump! Incredible! I've never seen this kind of power at a Rookie Challenge!"

The Twinleaf prodigy allowed herself a cruel smirk as Damion wordlessly returned his Superpower Pokémon. This was the kind of thing she'd dreamed of. Completely dominating her opponents on a national stage, showing the world just how strong she was. It was…intoxicating.

One Ice Beam later, Damion's Golbat (it seemed his Zubat had evolved) went the same way as the rest of his team, and that was that. A 5-1 victory. As they waited the customary half hour before the final, the crowd buzzed with subdued whispers, still in awe of Amaya's dominant performance.

If it were anybody else, that kind of showing might have won her the final before it even began, through pure intimidation. Milo, however, knew better than to fall for her shock and awe strategy. He knew his team as well as she knew hers, and he knew that his team could take her down.

Milo waited patiently, feeling again the sense of calm and focus that preceded a big match. Outside, he heard the crowd's energy swelling as the announcer went through the introductions. He took one last deep breath as he heard outside;

"…the moment you've all been waiting for! They're best of friends off the battlefield, but today they are rivals, the last two standing! The cream of the crop of this year's rookie class! Ladies and gentlemen, your finalists – Milo and Amaya!"

The screams seemed distant, almost worlds away. Any pressure he felt dissipated as Milo thought to himself;

 _This is just another battle with Amaya. My favorite opponent. Nobody pushes me as hard as she does. Let's win this._

His relentless brain had run through dozens of scenarios, and he'd carefully considered every option, analyzing furiously the pros and cons of every minute decision. They shared a wordless handshake in the center of the field before taking up their positions. Then they heard the long-awaited words;

"Let the battle…begin!"

"Leon, let's do this."

"Blaze, show them real speed! Let's get to work!"

He'd thought this would happen. After his defeat in the battle against Damion, Amaya would want to lead with Leon as a show of faith, and to try and throw a wrench in Milo's mind games. Drake would've been the most obvious counter, but using Blaze would make this a teaching moment for the young Shinx. Drake would obliterate him, but Blaze could do more – he could show him what he was lacking, how far he still had to go. Constructive, even helpful obliteration, if you will.

"Get going, bud! Double Team, Quick Attack!"

Demanding a full effort from Blaze so early on was risky, but if all went to plan he wouldn't have to run for long. He knew Leon wasn't equipped to deal with this.

"Spark, as fast and as many as you can!"

Leon's effort was valiant, but he was no match for his mentor, the Monferno who had trained him.

"Brick Break, Blaze Kick!"

Mentally, Milo instructed, _Make it look good, but don't embarrass him. He's just not ready to battle at this level._

 _You got it._

All at once the dozen Monferno copies that had been dashing about incomprehensibly vanished and the real Blaze shot straight at Leon from behind. The Shinx stood no chance, and when Blaze's two moves were finished, he was down, just like that. Amaya returned him, scowling.

"That was rude", she said shortly.

"It's a battle, 'Maya", he responded in kind, "Call your next."

"Coral, teach them some manners. Let's do this."

"Blaze", Milo responded with a fierce smile, "let Azura take this."

As he returned the Playful Pokémon, the shiny Umbreon appeared in a flash, her neon blue stripes glowing. The crowd oohed; this was a battle of each Trainer's ace Pokémon. Amaya narrowed her eyes and grinned; this was a matchup they both relished.

"It's Twinleaf all over again, Milo!"

"Bet you it'll turn out the same, too", he bantered back, "Shadow Ball!"

"It's a cover, Coral! Blast through with Ice Beam and follow her around!"

Amaya was right, of course. Azura's Shadow Ball was nothing to be sniffed at, but in this case it was meant primarily as a distraction while the Moonlight Pokémon got busy disappearing. The Ice Beam follow-through was a new trick, but Azura had plenty of practice dodging a wildly swinging Blaze. She trusted Milo to find her a way out.

"Run towards Coral!"

It worked like a charm. Amaya saw what she thought was an opening and switched moves.

"Dragon Tail!"

As the Ice Beam finally ended, Milo sprung his trap; "Pursuit!"

Dragon Tail hit thin air as Azura vanished, only to slam into Coral's back.

"Night!"

Not one spectator was sitting down. Nobody had ever seen a battle this technical, at such a blistering pace, in a _Rookie Challenge_ of all places. These two were something special; that much was clear. Down on the field, a black cloud descended, obscuring the whole battle.

"Stay cool, girl", Amaya encouraged her Milotic, "we've seen this. Water Pulse, on your left!"

Calling a direction was a risk, Amaya knew that, but it was the most wide open space that wasn't directly in front of Coral – call it an educated guess. She heard a surprised yelp from within the cloud and pumped her fist in momentary triumph. She knew Milo pretty well after all.

"Alright, you're still good, Azura. Hang in there! Dark Pulse, all you've got!"

The cloud lifted to reveal Azura, now standing right in front of Amaya's Tender Pokémon, her move already charged.

"Ice Beam, Coral!"

The idea was good, but Coral couldn't get it off in time. She was blasted backwards by one of the best Dark Pulse attacks Azura could remember producing. Still, she wasn't done yet. Amaya's first Pokémon growled quietly as her constant adversary looked on. Milo didn't order a follow-up, so Amaya went back on the offensive;

"Hydro Pump!"

"Confusion!"

The goal was to use the psychic attack to hit Coral with her own Hydro Pump, but the Water attack was too powerful, and Confusion wasn't strong enough. Azura barely managed to redirect it, and Amaya was already trying again.

"Now Twister!"

"Back off, Azura, fast!"

Not a moment too soon did Azura use Quick Attack to hasten her retreat, coming all the way back to stand in front of Milo as Coral's Twister rampaged across the middle of the field.

"Time for some sharpshooting. Give me a few Shadow Balls, try and find her through that mess."

Amaya gasped in shock as one, two, three Shadow Balls in quick succession came flying straight through the Twister, catching her Milotic completely unawares. After a brilliant display, Coral at last fell over and slipped into unconsciousness. Milo was up by two.

Amaya did some quick thinking of her own as she considered who to choose next. Milo didn't like to keep his Pokémon out when they were tired, so she was presumably safe from Azura for at least a couple rounds, and Blaze too, if she was lucky. Maybe…

"Okay, come on, we're not out yet. Granite, let's do this."

 _Hopefully_ , she thought to herself, _Granite can at least work through a couple of his smaller Pokémon. Then it'll be me and Terrus versus whoever's left…and Blaze and Azura._

It was a makeshift plan, but then again, she'd never had Milo's affinity for elaborate planning on the spot.

Luckily, she'd guessed right, as Milo made another change.

"Take a rest, Azura. That was great. Drake, you're in. Let's get to work!"

Shoot. Amaya was rather hoping for one of the younger two members of Milo's team. Drake was probably the only one who wouldn't be intimidated in the slightest at facing down a massive, powerful Onix. On second thought, that was probably Milo's purpose in calling him.

Milo, in fact, had a plan of his own;

 _Okay, Drake. I need you to do your best against Granite and buy us time, so Blaze and Azura are fresh and we have everyone on hand for Terrus. Can you handle that?_

 _Yes_ , answered the Gible with confidence, _Don't be afraid to leave me in. If losing buys us enough time, I'll gladly go down so the team gets a win._

As Milo paused in awe of Drake's awareness and maturity, Amaya kicked off the round;

"Rock Polish! Then Iron Tail!"

Amaya was going to do her best to up Granite's speed as much as possible to combat Milo's team game plan. For her desperate strategy to have even half a chance, she had to take down this little dragon quickly and efficiently.

"Jump, Drake!"

Drake leapt over Granite's metal tail with surprising elegance, and before he landed, Milo yelled, "Come down with Dig!"

Drake burrowed quickly underground, but Amaya was ready for this;

"Use Slam on the ground! Force him up top!"

Granite threw his monstrous self onto the ground, which shivered at the impact. Milo knew Drake wouldn't be able to remain underground, so he decided to go with the flow, and called the next move as Drake burst from the earth near the middle of the field,

"Use that momentum! Dragon Claw!"

Drake's remarkable battling instincts were breathtaking to Milo. He'd had Drake for no more than a couple days, but the Land Shark understood exactly what he needed, as if they'd been fighting together for months. He let the momentum of his jump carry him in a perfect arc, landing a respectable Dragon Claw to Granite's midsection. The Onix didn't show any sign of feeling hurt by it, but Milo knew it had to have done _something_ , at least.

"Rock Tomb, before it lands!"

Drake couldn't escape this one, and was smashed by several large stones that caved him in.

 _That tickled a bit_ , came the small dragon's voice in Milo's head, _but I'm still good to go._

"Drake, down!"

Amaya was too wrapped up in the moment to see the obvious and screamed, "Iron Tail! Bust that thing out the hard way, Granite!"

Had Drake still been where she thought he was, he'd be knocked out for certain, but the savage Iron Tail destroyed the Rock Tomb only to reveal another small hole. Drake had used Dig and was safely underground once more. To avoid another counterattack, Milo called his next move early;

"Up now, and Iron Tail!"

Drake emerged behind Granite, and sprinted as hard as he could towards the Rock Snake, whacking him with an Iron Tail. Again, the damage wasn't much, but Drake's clever intuition served him well. He'd hit Granite just above the point where his body left the ground, and disrupted his balance. The huge Onix teetered slightly, and Milo caught on just in time to press the attack;

"Perfect, Drake! Now dragon Claw up top!"

A well-placed Dragon Claw brought Granite tumbling down with a roar. Still, it took more than three small hits and a face plant to bring him down, and he came up as angry as Milo had ever seen him.

"Rock Throw!" Amaya screamed. She was angry now, as she had been during her battle with Damion. She would _not_ lose her Onix to a Gible. She refused to lose this. Granite felt her rage and made it his own. The towering Pokémon brought a huge boulder crashing down on Milo's dragon runt. It was too small to dodge, Rock Throw was a direct hit.

 _Whew, okay, that one really stung_ , Milo was relieved to hear Drake's voice, however pained he sounded, _I'm underground again. Leave me in, Milo. He'll win, but I can get another couple hits in first._

Taking a breath to settle himself, Milo called for the third time, "Drake, up! Tackle, Slash, then get out!"

Furious at Drake's latest escape, Amaya yelled at her battler, "Come on, Granite! Iron Tail him into the ground permanently!"

Drake landed the Dig attack, and did his best to dodge the Iron Tail, but Granite was too big and too pissed off, not to mention the speed boost from Rock Polish. Drake got smashed full force by the Iron Tail. Milo heard him once more in his mind before the wily Gible fainted;

 _I want a…rematch…once I'm Garchomp…_

 _One down_ , thought Amaya, _four to go. Let's see what we can do._

Milo smirked as he recalled Drake. He had hoped for a clean sweep, but he took a deep breath and reminded himself that it took a level head to control a battle. His brain flashed its way through several potential plans in the space of a split second before he decided that it was time to show the same faith in his team that Amaya had shown in Leon.

"Ferra, you're up. Let's get to work."

 _Perfect_ , thought Amaya, _Granite can take her down. That'll be two down, three to go. No time to waste._

"Get after her, Granite! Rock Throw!"

"Stay focused, Ferra, I need you at your absolute best. Get moving, fast!"

Ferra used her Quick Attack and dodged the incoming boulder with ease.

"Again, Granite! She can't dodge forever!"

"Keep using Quick Attack, Ferra, stay sharp!"

Mentally, Milo added, _Dodge back and forth, try and zig-zag closer to him._

After four Rock Throws, Milo judged Ferra to be close enough, and made his move;

"Force Palm, right above his contact point!"

The plan worked to perfection. The super effective move did extra damage to the already weakened spot that Drake had targeted. Granite came crashing down once more. Unfortunately, Ferra's remarkable resolve in the face of battle failed her when a massive Onix came falling down on top of her. She was immobilized by the panic of the moment. When the dust cleared, both Pokémon were unconscious.

"Ferra! No!" Milo almost sprinted out onto the field, but caught himself, and took a shuddering breath. He was almost there; he just had to take down Terrus. No more games. He exhaled and recalled his Riolu, whispering, "I'm so proud of you, Ferra. So proud."

"Terrus, let's do this."

Amaya's face was a mask once more. She was one Pokémon away from losing the biggest match of her career, and the adrenaline sharpened her laser focus to new heights. She was hoping beyond hope for Aurora, or even a tired Azura, to give her half a chance, but to no avail;

"Blaze, you're in, pal. Let's get to work! Bring it home for the whole team!"

A curt nod was exchanged by the two starters. Old rivals, duking it out once more, this time with an audience.

"We need this, Terrus! Energy Ball machine gun!"

This was an entirely new tactic. Terrus' strength and connection to Amaya were on display as he opened his jaw and produced an almost constant stream of Energy Ball attacks. Blaze was used to dodging, and did so instinctively, but neither he nor Milo had ever come up against an onslaught like this one.

"Blaze, try and-"

Milo was already too late, as Blaze disappeared in the flurry of Grass attacks that caught and bombarded him.

 _Too late to dodge, we need a brute force escape plan…that'll do!_

"Blaze, fight through this! Flame Wheel!"

With a cry of determination, Blaze tucked into the familiar move, and rolled straight through the stream of Energy Balls, which burned like crumpled paper in the heat of his fire. He slammed into Terrus as hard as he could, and both were already breathing heavily. Blaze had taken only Grass hits, but even so, any hit from a Pokémon as strong as Terrus was going to sting, and the brave Monferno had taken at least five of them.

 _Okay, new plan_ , said Milo to his Pokémon, _bait the Grass Knot and counter as hard as possible._

Blaze nodded curtly, not taking his eyes off his adversary, and Milo called, "Mach Punch, then back off!"

The hit-and-run worked, and seemed to frustrate the Grotle, who likely felt he'd taken a cheap shot.

"Razor Leaf, Terrus!"

For Milo, the world seemed to move in slow motion. He could all but feel Amaya's brain thinking the very thing that would gift him the victory.

"Blaze, Quick Attack dodge", he said, fully aware that Blaze would've done it without him. He needed Amaya to hear it. _Come on_ , he begged her silently, _I know you're thinking it…Just call it…_

Something inside him told him it was coming, before Amaya even opened her mouth. It was some unconscious trigger in the way her face changed, the way she shifted her weight, something. As she yelled, he was already halfway through turning the tables on her;

"Terrus, stop him running away! Grass Knot!"

"NOW! Jump and Blaze Kick!"

He watched in triumphant expectation, and saw Amaya's face fall as Grass Knot swung savagely mere inches below Blaze's jump. Just as the Playful Pokémon hit the apex of his leap, he ignited his foot and came crashing down with unerring aim onto Terrus' back, before pushing off to flip acrobatically back to a safe distance. Terrus gritted his teeth and pulled his legs painstakingly underneath himself. Blaze was visibly drained, physically and mentally, but struck a ready pose. Just as Terrus managed to stand himself upright, he gave a roar and summoned one last almighty Return attack that took Blaze by surprise, before falling over.

When the dust settled, both combatants were down. The last round had been a draw, and Milo won the match on reserve Pokémon. It seemed a fitting end to the most spectacular match of the tournament.

After a moment's hush, the crowd erupted in raucous cheering. Milo could hardly hear Amaya, who had crossed the field to shake his hand;

"Congrats again, Milo. I got a lot closer that time, but you're still one step ahead."

"You're definitely catching up", Milo replied graciously, "that was the best battle I've ever had. Let's do it again sometime, huh?"

Amaya's eyes flashed and a wicked grin came over her face as she answered with conviction, "I'll meet you in the League final. You better be there."

"You're on", grinned the Jubilife Trainer, "I suppose we ought to wave to the people or something?"

"Or something", agreed Amaya, and they both waved briefly to the screaming battle fans of Hearthome before leaving the arena. The second they were out of sight, they looked at each other and cracked up laughing like maniacs;

"AH! That was insane", Amaya was ecstatic, "I can't _believe_ we just did that! That was the coolest thing ever!"

"I know, right? Holy crap, the adrenaline! Wow…"

Milo grabbed his friend and travelling companion in a tight embrace as their euphoric, adrenaline-spurred laughter gradually subsided. They pulled away, and Amaya said with a smile,

"For the record…I'm glad I tagged along with you, Milo."

He was about to respond in kind when footsteps came clattering down the corridor; it was Jenks, with a smile on his bright face;

"You two are unstoppable! That was the best battle I've ever seen at a Rookie Challenge ever, hands down! Everyone in the battle world will have heard your names and seen that battle in the next few days, I guarantee it!"

"I guess you got some real talent, bro", came Marcus' voice as he stepped forward.

"WHA!" Amaya jumped about two feet off the ground, "When the _hell_ did you get there? Oh my gosh, you can't just do that!"

Marcus chuckled and said, "Eh, as the Dark type Gym Leader, I'm good with shadows. Comes with the territory, I suppose."

Jenks soon shepherded the two rookies into a news room where they answered a series of questions, most of which boiled down to 'How the heck did that just happen'. Milo soon grew numb, and felt like he was just giving rapid fire answers;

"No, we're not dating."

"Yes, I'd like to complete my team. No, I don't have any particular Pokémon in mind."

"We've been travelling together since we met in Twinleaf."

"I won because of my team, they are the real stars here."

After a solid 45 minutes of loud reporters asking repetitive questions and hanging on their every word, the two Trainers at last got to return to Marcus' Gym for some peace and quiet. Milo and Amaya, their Pokémon now healed, retreated to their rooms to go back over the battle with a fine-toothed comb.

 _Papa_ , began Ferra, _I'm sorry. I panicked and…I couldn't even get out of the way._

 _No, Ferra, listen to me_ , Milo picked her up and looked her in the eye, _I'm incredibly proud of you, you held it together under all those Rock Throws. You brought down Granite!_

 _Don't feel bad about not dodging, kid_ , added Drake kindly, _he got me the same way with an Iron Tail. We're in the same boat, it took both of us to get through him._

 _That's right_ , Blaze jumped in, _and I couldn't have beat Terrus if you guys hadn't downed Granite without me._

 _Let's not forget how we got this far in the first place_ , Milo added, with a smile and a wink at his adorable Eevee, _Aurora, you were such a big help in all the battles we won to reach the final!_

The young Trainer glanced at Blaze and Azura, both of whom silently nodded. They knew how much he valued their help, they needed no further encouragement. The team was up late rehashing bits and pieces of the tournament, and Milo let Aurora wear his winner's medal, which sent her over the moon.

Finally, they went to sleep, contented and exhausted.

-o-

Their stay in Hearthome had taken longer than expected, so Milo and Amaya left the Gym bright and early the next morning, heading East on the road to Solaceon Town. They kept their heads down on the city sidewalks, but were still stopped a handful of times by bright-eyed fans who had seen their battles. The pair of them signed about a dozen autographs and took at least that many pictures before they finally got out of Hearthome.

Fortunately, nothing much happened as the group traveled, at least not until lunch. It was hilariously rare for them to get that far without something happening, for better or worse. Unfortunately, when something finally happened, this time it was firmly in the 'worse' category. No sooner had Milo set out their picnic lunch and released his team to chow down when a sticky web flew out of the trees behind them, grabbing Ferra. A psychic blast left Milo dazed as the rest of his team scrambled to respond. He shook off the momentary distraction and yelled,

"EVERYONE GO!"

Every one of Milo's Pokémon, as well as Amaya and her team, sprinted off in pursuit of the Ariados and Espeon that had just taken off into the trees, with Ferra in tow, screaming and struggling as best she could. Milo had been the first to react, and only Blaze was fast enough to catch up to him at full tilt, so when they finally burst into a small clearing, a psychic shield sprang to life that entrapped Milo and his trusty starter while the others were thrown back upon colliding with it.

Keeping both eyes on the two kidnappers, Milo called to his friends outside,

"Blast this shield, hit it with everything you've got!"

He immediately heard attacks, large and small, banging off of it, and the Espeon in the bubble began growling with the exertion of repelling them.

An eerie, musical chuckle came from the bushes in front of Milo, and a woman stepped out, followed by another off to his right. The two women wore black outfits with unmistakable pink and purple highlights on them. It was the poachers from the Oreburgh incident.

"Annie and Oakley", said Milo, his voice low and dangerous, "from Team Rocket."

"Oh how cute, Oakley, he remembers us", smiled Annie, her voice a sickly sweet tone that mocked Milo with every word.

"Perfect, Annie", chimed in Oakley, "now he can remember how Team Rocket deals with upstart Trainers who steal from us."

"Ferra is _mine_ , you murderers. Give her back right now or I'll beat you down myself."

"Beat us down? Oakley, can you believe the nerve of this rascal? Four on two, and he'd dare attack us?"

"Blaze", said Milo, ignoring the two Rockets' provocations, "we are not losing her. I'll knock off this Espeon, you burn that bug into the dirt. Teach them a lesson _they'll_ remember. Nobody messes with our team."

"FERNOOO!"

Blaze roared aloud as he flung himself bodily at the Ariados, who dropped Ferra in a panicked attempt to defend itself. The young Riolu scrambled away as Milo formed a Dark Aura Sphere in each hand and began shooting Dark attacks at the Sunlight Pokémon with savage ferocity.

Somehow the psychic Eeveelution was maintaining the bubble shield that kept the rest of Milo's allies at bay, but his onslaught left it no time to even consider a counterattack. Blaze made short work of the Ariados and was bearing down on Annie and Oakley, keeping them in check while Milo pummeled their last remaining Pokémon. Espeon found itself unable to hit Milo with any kind of psychic power blast and after something like thirty seconds it crashed to the ground unconscious.

With the battle already over, Milo joined Blaze, menacing the shocked Rockets;

"You have ten seconds to get the hell away from my Pokémon. If I ever see you again you'll wish I was this nice. Get going."

The pair instantly returned their fallen Pokémon and turned tail, but not before Oakley called over her shoulder;

"We are Team Rocket, you hear me? You'll never be safe from us!"

Letting his adrenaline fade, Milo patted Blaze appreciatively on the back and as the rest of the group joined them, the Jubilife Trainer quickly found Ferra taking shelter in a bush, and lifted her into a firm embrace.

 _Papa_ , he heard her say, in a small voice, _I was so scared. But I knew you'd never let them get me._

 _Not in a million years. I'm always here for you, Ferra._

Just then a flash illuminated the whole area and a crackle of thunder followed close behind.

"Milo", Amaya began curtly, "hate to interrupt, but how about we find shelter and then recoup from this whole thing? Our stuff is still sitting out back there."

"Yeah", said Milo, taking several breaths to get his head on straight, "yeah, let's get the stuff together and find some way to keep dry before the rain comes."

They were quite an efficient group, and had their belongings all packed within five minutes. The Trainers returned their Pokémon and took off as fast as reasonably possible down the path. It started to drizzle, and they sped up as much as they dared, breaking into a run as an unmarked tower came into view.

A full-on downpour began just seconds before they safely reached the entrance of the tower, and they were rather soaked by the time they arrived, breathless from their little sprint.

Milo moved inside a ways, and released his team. Amaya followed suit after a few more seconds recovering her breath.

"Lucky this place was just here for us", she commented, "Wonder what it is?"

As Azura came out, she stood completely still, staring intently at the inside of the tower.

 _Milo…this is a grave site._

Milo started and took another look deeper into the tower. There were rows upon rows of graves staring starkly back at him.

"I've…heard of this place, I think", the young man whispered, "This is the Lost Tower. This is where the spirits of deceased Pokémon rest before they move on."

Both Ferra and Azura stepped forward as if drawn into the silent tower. Suddenly, a shadowy figure materialized in front of Ferra.

" **My daughter** ", it said, " **How my spirit has longed to commune with you.** "

"That's…That's Fenrir…" Milo could hardly believe his own words. Ferra fell to her knees and tears swelled in her eyes.

 _Daddy? Daddy! I…I miss you so much! I'm trying so hard to make you proud!_

" **I have watched all that you have done. I am unspeakably proud of all you have accomplished. I know your legacy will be great and honorable. Seeing you here…I feel fulfilled. Yes – I am ready now.** "

 _Ready for what? Daddy, what – where are you going?_

Milo remained silent, knowing it was not his place to say anything.

" **I am going on now. I am so proud of the young Riolu you have become. I know you will be a fearsome and magnificent Lucario someday.** "

Now the hazy figure of Ferra's father turned to Milo and addressed the Trainer directly;

" **Words cannot express how grateful I am to you, Milo. I know you will keep her safe.** "

"I would give anything to protect her. Your legacy will survive through her."

" **I would have it no other way. Ferra, my perfect daughter, I love you. This is goodbye. Always remember my love, and know that I am infinitely proud of you.** "

 _DADDY! DON'T GO! NOOOO!_

Ferra screamed mentally and out loud as the ghost of her father began to fade, a peaceful smile on his strong face as he relinquished his final hold on the world.

Milo knelt down beside his youngest team member, wordlessly consoling her. He knew there was nothing he could say. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Azura take a step forward, her eyes scanning the space in front of them desperately, longingly…

Nothing happened. She was hoping beyond hope, Milo knew, that perhaps her parents' spirits would also appear, and as the seconds ticked by, her face fell from hopeful, to anxious, to an expression of despair. They weren't coming.

 _Azura,_ he began, _they may be –_

 _Don't_ , her voice sounded dead, _Don't say it, Milo. They aren't here because they've already gone on. They…they didn't wait for me._

Even Amaya didn't break the sorrowful silence that enveloped them all. Minutes slipped by and turned to hours. After a while, Amaya did say something;

"The…rain has stopped", her voice was low and respectful, "Should we head to Solaceon?"

"Yeah", answered Milo, somberly.

The group walked the rest of the way in complete silence, each lost in their own thoughts. It was Ferra who addressed her Trainer as they checked into a room at the Solaceon Pokémon Center;

 _Papa…even my daddy trusted you. I'm sad he left, but I'm glad we made him proud. I'll never stop getting stronger; I'll make sure he's always proud of me. Of us._

Having no response, Milo smiled encouragingly and watched as the Riolu dried her eyes, gave her Trainer one last sad grin, and settled in for the night. The others dropped off to sleep one by one, until only Milo and Azura were left awake. He sat next to her as she stared out the window, giving her all the time she needed.

 _Can…we take a walk?_

 _Sure, Azura. Let's go quietly, we don't want to wake the others._

The two friends slipped easily out into the still nighttime of Solaceon. Neither said anything as they made their way out to a dark hillside, where Azura sat and gazed softly at the pale moon for which her species was named. Milo sat patiently next to her, letting her talk first. After ten minutes, she did so;

 _I just…really thought they'd be there. I really thought they would wait._

 _I'm sorry, Azura. I really am. I can't imagine how that would feel. But just because you can't see them doesn't mean they can't see you. Somewhere out there, they're still looking down and smiling at you, I'll bet._

 _I…I like that thought. Thank you, Milo. For everything._

 _Everything?_

 _Since we started this journey, you've been the best partner, friend, and Trainer I could've ever asked for. Your love, care, and devotion holds this team together. Without you, Ferra and I would just be orphans, Aurora would never make it in the wild, and Blaze and Drake would just be misfits. I understand what Ferra said earlier: I'm sad – depressed, even – that I couldn't talk to my parents today, but I know you'll always, always be there for me. For all of us._

Milo was openly crying now, and Azura was staring deeply into his eyes, speaking with utmost sincerity.

 _I..I just do what I think is best for all of you…_

Azura climbed into his lap and curled herself firmly against his body as she reaffirmed him;

 _This team is destined for greatness because you go farther than anyone else for your Pokémon. We love you more than you can imagine. Thank you so much, Milo. For everything._

 **Author's Notes: Whew, it's finally done! This took forever, and I apologize, but I hope there's enough quality stuff here to make up for that. Please, oh please tell me what you think about any and every part of this! I'd love to hear your thoughts, favorite parts, and (constructive) criticisms in a review!**

 **Did you like the battle tournament? I tried to vary the styles a bit to keep it interesting. I rather enjoyed the last couple scenes as well, they were satisfyingly meaningful. If you enjoyed it, remember to follow/favorite so you can keep up to date! By the way, I don't own Pokémon, just my characters.**


	13. Chapter 13 - Connections

Milo Chapter 13 – Connections

"Yeah, we're almost there", said Milo, speaking loudly over the commotion behind him, "How does the city look? Do we need to be careful?"

It was late afternoon now, closing in on evening. The group had left Solaceon Town heading North on Route 210 before pivoting East on Route 215, making a beeline for Veilstone City and their next Gym Challenge.

Before entering Veilstone, the two Trainers decided to call Jenks for advice on handling the public aspect of their upcoming Gym matches. The pit stop on the route also gave them a chance to train and strategize for Maylene's fighting types.

"It's awfully loud for not being in the city, Milo", commented Jenks, "what the heck is going on back there?"

"Well, we're training to counter fighting types, and Blaze is taking his job as our resident fighting type very seriously, so…"

"Figures", laughed the journalist, "well, it seems your camera-shy self is in luck, my young friend. Turns out the media are all over Veilstone, but not for you. All the chatter is centered on the upcoming Veilstone Showcase. Some well-known Sinnoh native performers are coming in, but the main focus is on the Rookie class, I hear there are some real up-and-comers. I may even take an early flight tomorrow and scout the talent myself."

"Whew, I'm glad we aren't the center of attention. Maybe we can actually explore the city for a change. I haven't gotten to do that openly since…well, almost since Oreburgh, come to think."

"Oh, come on, Milo, it's not that bad. Trust me, you'll learn to handle it soon enough. I think-"

"EEEAAAAHHH! CORAL! BLAST THIS THIIIING!"

Milo jumped and yelled himself in surprise at Amaya's outburst. He turned quickly back to his call and said,

"Uh, I'll call you back later, I guess. Sorry, bye…"

He hung up hurriedly and ran over, "What in the world is going on here?"

Coral was Hydro Pumping and Ice Beaming everything within a five-foot radius of an apparently empty spot about ten yards behind Amaya, who had tripped over herself while running away from…whatever it was that had startled her. What Milo really couldn't understand was Blaze, who was rolling around on the ground, laughing. Azura stood nearby, barely repressing a chuckle herself.

 _Umm…fill me in here?_ Milo looked to his Shiny Umbreon for an explanation.

 _Well, hehe, it seems we picked up a stowaway of sorts from the Lost Tower. I'd sensed something off, but because of…everything going on, I didn't give it much thought-_

Blaze interrupted, _This Gastly was following us as a joke and – haha! – it just showed up out of nowhere – ha! – right behind Amaya! Oh, that was great…_

Still somewhat confused, Milo cast his eyes about, but could find no sign of the Ghost type.

"Uh, Amaya? Where's this Gastly that was apparently here?"

From the ground where she'd fallen, she responded, her voice shaky, "It…it showed up there, where Coral was attacking…Ugh, crap, that was scary…"

"Not a fan of ghosts?"

"It's not that, I just – whew, that was one hell of a shock. Alright, I'm better, now where is that damn ball of ethereal junk? I'm going to beat it into the ground, Ghost or not."

At that moment, an Ice Beam flew inches past Milo's face, and it was his turn to fall over in shock.

"WHAT the-"

"GAST!"

Milo wasn't the only one taken aback by Coral's powerful blast. It seemed that the Gastly in question had tried to sneak up on Milo as another prank, but Coral had spotted it and preempted its surprise with one of her own, that froze the Gastly in place.

"You know what…" An evil grin spread across Amaya's face, "I have another idea. Milo, move. Coral, thaw this thing out with Water Pulse."

Milo took the hint and jumped away as fast as he could, escaping the blast radius of the Water Pulse by inches.

"Geez, watch it! That nearly hit me!"

Amaya was totally oblivious to his complaint. Gastly had been frozen by the Ice Beam, but the Water Pulse broke its icy shell, and Amaya hit it with a Pokéball as soon as it emerged. Unprepared for the onslaught, the Gastly struggled within the ball, but after a few shakes, the ball pinged. Amaya had a new team member.

Breathing heavily, Milo pulled himself off the ground and said, rather grumpily,

"Seriously? I mean, come on, give me more than half a second to dodge! Coral almost took my head off!"

Unfazed, Amaya waved off the protests of her friend, "Oh, you're fine, quit whining. Have a little faith in her aim. Now, let's see my new battler!"

She threw the Pokéball, and Gastly reemerged. Oddly enough, it looked as ecstatic as Amaya about the new arrangement. So thrilled was Gastly, in fact, that it gave Amaya a giant Lick straight to her face.

Milo took note of the newcomer's size and the color of its ethereal ghostly aura before proclaiming;

"Hmm. I'm pretty sure your Gastly is female, Amaya."

"Female, huh?" Amaya carefully distanced herself from her new capture while she considered naming her, "how about Spirielle, then? No idea where it came from, but it's got a ring to it. Like it, Spirielle?"

The newly christened Spirielle did a mid-air loop-de-loop in celebration, and Amaya made a round of introductions to the rest of the Pokémon.

"You know, Milo", she said when she was done, "there's one thing I'm excited about that could tip the tables between us."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"When Spirielle evolves, which she will, she'll be a Gengar."

Milo raised a curious eyebrow, "Okay…good on you for knowing basic evolution chains? What's the point here?"

"So that means I'll have a high-power special attacker that's _really_ naturally fast and damn near impossible to pin down. I have a perfect counter for your whole strategy."

Milo nodded approvingly, before smugly pointing out, "Yeah, you know, that's true…but you do realize that Gengar are weak, first and foremost, to Dark and Ghost moves, like Azura's? They also have no effect on Normal types, like Aurora for instance, who also just so happens to have a Ghost move. How's your strategy breaker look now?"

He walked off smiling, leaving Amaya glowering speechlessly in his wake. He called over his shoulder as he returned to his team's training, "Just pushing you to improve, 'Maya!"

They had something like another hour before they really needed to get into Veilstone, so they spent it putting the final touches on their specialized training for the Gym challenge. Amaya had finally cracked and asked for help in strategizing against Maylene, and Milo was only too happy to give advice.

"Well, you'll definitely want Spirielle, because every fighting move she's got won't touch a Ghost type. Leon's probably small enough to slip through the cracks and frustrate her. You can use that to draw her out if you have to. If memory serves, Maylene goes for three on three, so you'll want Spirielle and Leon, with Coral as a failsafe."

"Hmm…alright. What's your plan, then?"

"Actually, I'm thinking Blaze, Ferra, and Aurora."

"You're putting in two Pokémon that young? Against one of the most intense Gyms in the region? This I've got to hear."

"Her kingpin is Lucario. That'll be Blaze's job. Aurora's got a Shadow Ball that'll do well, and Ferra can run circles around the rest of her team. She'll come out swinging, so my plan is to hit and run."

Compared to their recent experience sneaking into Hearthome, walking into Veilstone through the big western gate was rather anticlimactic to the young Trainers. As soon as they were into the city, however, Azura stopped and took a good look around, seeming disturbed by something.

"Azura", Milo asked, "what's the matter?"

 _I think I remember this place. This…this is where I first met humans._

"First met humans? What do you…oh. After the forest, you came here, didn't you?"

 _Yes. I was scared, hungry, and alone._

 _Hang on_ , Blaze jumped in, _I think I remember this place too. Is there a breeder here?_

Milo wasn't sure, so he asked out loud, "Hmm…Is there a breeder here, Amaya? I know the biggest one is back in Solaceon, but I can't remember if there's one here too."

"Actually, yeah", she responded, "I remember hearing something somewhere about the Veilstone Breeding Center. Why?"

"Blaze may have come from this Breeding Center. I mean, how many other places could supply a constant stream of starter Pokémon to Professor Rowan's lab in Sandgem?"

Milo's travelling friend shrugged and kept walking, "Hmm. Cool, good to know. Let's find the Pokémon Center, I'm starving."

The Jubilife Trainer rolled his eyes with a grin, and the whole group followed the road signs to the Center, where Nurse Joy was, as always, more than ready to provide them with accommodations and food. This time, the Nurse Joy on duty had a little something extra for them;

"Oh, you're Milo and Amaya, that's right! I almost forgot", she dropped her voice low, as if sharing a secret, "I have a note for you here regarding your Gym battles. Please read it at your earliest convenience, and I'll be happy to pass along your response."

As the two young Trainers got their food and sat down in the Center's cafeteria, Milo opened the handwritten note and read it aloud, quietly so as not to be overheard;

" _Milo and Amaya,_

 _Hi, Maylene here. I hear you're finally in town. The Gym is being used for the Veilstone Showcase for most of tomorrow, so we'll have to work around that to schedule your battles. Sorry for the inconvenience, politics once again interferes with the real business of Training (that's between you and me). I've scheduled both of you for tomorrow anyway, one before the Rookie Showcase at 9:00am, and one afterwards at 3:30pm. If this works for you, let Nurse Joy know and she'll tell me we're on. Looking forward to a pair of great battles, I expect greatness from you both. See you on the battlefield._

 _Maylene – Gym Leader, Veilstone City_ "

"Ugh", was Amaya's immediate and eloquent reaction, "I can't stand Showcases. It's just a bunch of shallow girls competing to be the prettiest girl with the prettiest Pokémon. Most of them do it because they could never make it as real Trainers."

Milo gave her a questioning look, "That's pretty cynical. I've known some girls who got into being Performers. It takes as much skill as anything else. What, were you never invited to join the pretty girls and be a Performer?"

"Please", scoffed the small Trainer, "as if I'd ever even consider that kind of life. Whatever. As long as we can still battle Maylene tomorrow, I don't care. You get the early slot though; I'll need the extra time to work with Spirielle."

"Fair enough", Milo stood up, "I'll go tell Nurse Joy."

After dinner, they took the opportunity to explore Veilstone. They had to be careful; everyone knew that Veilstone had some not-so-great neighborhoods that were best avoided, especially after dark. It was a much more imposing city than any they'd seen so far. Eterna had been rather subdued and comparatively quiet, Jubilife was bustling with friendly locals, and Hearthome was constantly humming with tourists and travelers coming to see its many attractions. They wandered for a few hours, bought some small souvenirs and stocked up on supplies, and then made their way to the Pokémon Center to settle in for the night.

-o-

 _Milo! Milo, Milo, Milo, Milo, Milo! Wake uuuuup, Milo!_

The mental barrage and the force of an Eevee bouncing up and down on his chest woke Milo up at 7:30 the next morning.

 _Ehhh? Good morning, Aurora. You're excited, huh?_

 _YEAH! I get to help you win a Gym badge today!_

 _Yep_ , Milo pulled himself groggily to his feet and went about getting ready, _that's right. Give me a chance to get breakfast real quick and we'll head over early to warm up._

One bowl of oatmeal later, Milo shocked the huddle of reporters lined up outside the Gym. They were clearly waiting to get the first chance to interview the Performers, but had not expected Milo to turn up first.

"Huh? Is that-"

"That's Milo! Milo, can we ask you about – Milo! Milo!"

With no small amount of smug pleasure, he turned to them from the door of the Gym and said, "Sorry, no questions right now, I have to prepare for my Gym battle at 9."

He heard a satisfying buzz break out behind him as he walked into the Gym to see the simple martial arts arena he'd seen so many times on television back in school.

"Hey there", came a voice. Its owner soon came jogging lightly into view from a back room around the corner, "I'm Maylene. Ah, Milo! Good, you're early."

"Yeah, I was hoping to get some last minute prep and warm up in. Is there a place I can do that?"

"Sure, follow me."

Maylene was one of Sinnoh's youngest leaders, only just in her early twenties, but she had been running her Gym successfully for over a decade. Her distinct shade of pink hair never failed to stand out no matter where she was, though she wore it in a long braid these days. Out of curiosity, Milo ventured a question while they walked,

"So what was that comment about politics yesterday? Are you not a fan of the Showcase?"

"Ugh, that's a whole…thing. Don't get me wrong, I totally don't mind Showcases, but I'm not a fan of having one _here._ I use this Gym, day in and day out to train myself and my students as well as accepting challenges. Then, because the League wants to show its support of Performers and help legitimize them on a national scale, I'm expected to drop everything for almost a week to host a Showcase in the Gym to demonstrate cooperation between Trainers and Performers."

"Ah", Milo's head was spinning. It was always a surprise to him how much Gym Leaders had to play politics, "I can see how that'd be frustrating."

"No kidding!" Maylene was venting now, "I mean, I'd gladly attend a Showcase hosted anywhere else in the city, but no, they _insist_ that having it here shows the right 'symbolic support' for the Performer's Association from the Sinnoh League."

Shaking her head, the pink-haired Gym Leader stopped and took a breath before saying,

"Anyway, I'm sorry for dumping that on you. As you can tell, I've never been the best at dealing with that kind of thing. Playing diplomat is my least favorite part of this job."

"My brother always says the same thing", grinned the young man in response, "He always came and told me the wackiest stories when I was in school."

"I bet he did, Hearthome is even crazier than Veilstone from what I hear. Here's the practice gym, feel free to do whatever here until the battle, and I'll see you in – uh, what time is it now? – I'll see you in a half hour."

Milo and his team spent their last half hour doing light drills; running, dodging, anything small, just enough to get their blood moving and, in Milo's case, burn off any excess energy built up by the pre-battle jitters. His planned strategy was only going to work if he was completely in control of himself, and Maylene was an expert at ramping up the intensity of a battle in order to force mistakes.

In the middle of his warm up routine, he got a message on his watch from Amaya;

'Hey, I'm here', it said, 'Do your thing. Kick her butt. -A'

He smirked, and before too long, a man in a martial arts robe, one of Maylene's students, came to get him. He had hoped that Jenks' plan to use the Showcase to sneak his battle under the public radar would work, but he found to his disappointment that he would not be so lucky. There were easily a thousand Veilstone citizens in the stands, eagerly awaiting Maylene's first big Gym challenge of the season.

 _Easy, Milo_ , he told himself, _Veilstone's a big place, of course people are going to show up._

As usual, his battle mentality kicked in as the referee began explaining the rules, and the jitters melted away. He had a plan, he was ready.

"BATTLE BEGIN!"

"Meditite, let's go!"

Milo took a deep breath. So far so good.

"Aurora, let's get to work!"

"Interesting", called Maylene from across the field, "I'll admit I was hoping for your Monferno, but this should be interesting. Meditite, Drain Punch!"

"Protect, then Shadow Ball!"

Meditite's Drain Punch collided safely with Aurora's Protect shield, but Maylene had a similar trick up her sleeve.

"Detect!"

With impossible precision, Meditite's eyes glowed and it avoided the Shadow Ball that would've landed a solid, super effective hit. Stalemate.

"Confusion! Then close in and Drain Punch again!"

"Aurora, Quick Attack, Bite!"

Meditite's eyes glowed again, blue this time, as it prepared a psychic blast, but Milo's little Eevee was too fast. Her Quick Attack carried her straight through Meditite, and the Bite she added in was a strong one. Before she released her opponent, Milo called a follow-up attack;

"Throw it, Aurora, then Shadow Ball before it lands!"

Aurora's hard work was evident as she tossed Meditite up and backwards and sniped it twice with Shadow Ball attacks before it landed. Milo had hoped that would end the round, but Maylene called confidently,

"Fake Out, now!"

The perfect counter-move would have been Quick Attack, but Milo was a fraction of a second too late, and Aurora cried out as she took the hit and went tumbling across the plain dirt field.

 _I'm sorry, Aurora!_

 _I'm alright, Milo! Let's beat that meanie!_

"Aurora, Return!"

Aurora summoned all her love for the best human she'd ever met and sent a blast of white energy at the exhausted Meditite. This time the round really was over.

"Meditite is unable to battle, Eevee is the winner!"

Maylene congratulated her young challenger as she recalled her defeated Pokémon, "Hmm. I underestimated that Eevee, Milo, I thought type advantage and trick moves would be enough, but you never fail to surprise. Let's try power next; go Machoke!"

This was the most crucial part of his strategy. He needed this round to go perfectly for Blaze to have a clear run at the Lucario that he knew would come in last. He took a deep breath and said calmly;

"Aurora, return. It's time. Ferra, let's get to work."

As the small Emanation Pokémon appeared, she immediately felt the calm attitude of her Trainer and looked back at him with a nod;

 _I'm focused, Papa. Let's go win, just like the practice._

There was a pause while Maylene took stock of the situation, one eyebrow raised, and Milo waited for her to make a move. He didn't have to wait long;

"Rock Tomb, Machoke!"

"Focus Blast those rocks, Ferra."

Milo's heart swelled with pride as his self-appointed 'daughter' blasted each and every incoming rock without moving and completely nullified the Superpower Pokémon's attack.

"Brick Break, Machoke!"

Without hesitation, the Leader's battler threw itself towards Ferra, who stood her ground defiantly.

"Quick Attack behind, and Force Palm!"

Ferra's Quick Attack took her in an arc around the onrushing Machoke, and as it slowed to locate its slippery target, she slammed it in the back with a Force Palm. Not waiting to see what the counter would be, Milo called immediately,

"Buffer! Now! Get your space, Ferra!"

Thus it was that Ferra was already backing off as fast as possible when Maylene yelled, "Karate Chop! Keep after that Riolu!"

"Crunch, Ferra!"

Ferra again refused to be intimidated by her much larger opponent, but this time she misjudged its advance and began her Crunch too late. She took the full force of the Karate Chop, and Milo struggled not to panic. Unsure of how to respond, he heard a welcome voice in his mind as the dust began to settle,

 _I'm…still okay…but I bet he thinks I'm down…_

"Focus Blast!"

The bright blue sphere came out of seemingly nowhere and crashed violently into the unprepared Machoke, who was thrown bodily into the air. As he fell, Milo called again, his confidence returning;

"Follow him, Ferra! Blaze Kick!"

Ferra sprinted across the field, using a Quick Attack to make sure she got to Machoke before he landed. A split second before he hit the dirt, Ferra jumped at him and, with the extra momentum of Quick Attack lending power to her move, smashed a Blaze Kick into his side. Machoke landed and slid twenty feet before colliding with the wall of the arena, knocked out.

The referee stared open-mouthed at what he'd just seen for a second or two before recovering himself enough to call the round

"Uh, M-Machoke is unable to battle! Riolu is the winner!"

Maylene gave her young opponent a wry smile as she initiated the final round;

"You've done well, Milo, but next up is my strongest!"

"Then I guess you get the matchup you were hoping for!"

"Go, Lucario!"

"Blaze, let's get to work!"

Milo was working very hard now to keep himself calm. If he showed any signs of cracking, Maylene would know, and take advantage. He refused to be the weak point of his team.

 _I have to hold it together for one more round_ , he thought to himself.

"Ferno", came Blaze's voice from the battlefield. His fire starter flashed him an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up. His team had confidence in him. They could win this, together.

Across the field, there was a pause. Maylene and Lucario had adopted identical fighting poses. Like many gyms, this wasn't the Pokémon that Maylene was famous for, but another of the same species. This was a different Lucario. It wasn't as strong as Maylene's renowned partner, but it was certainly strong enough to provide Gym challengers a stern test.

The breathless pause continued, until the room felt as if it would burst in anticipation. Finally, Maylene started.

"Bone Rush!"

"Up, Blaze!"

Blaze jumped, and Milo saw Maylene's eyes flash triumphantly.

"No you don't! Follow it, Lucario! Knock that monkey down!"

 _She knew_ , realized Milo, _she knew we would jump! Okay, okay, calm, keep calm, just think fast…_

"Double Team!"

It was a rather clumsy escape plan, but it did the trick, as Blaze copies appeared all around Lucario, and Bone Rush took out only illusions. The real Blaze had bought himself enough time to land, but Maylene knew better than to give her opponent time to regroup.

"Again, Lucario, Bone Rush!"

The dangerous bone club once more came swinging towards Blaze, and this time Milo tried a new strategy,

"Low Kick, Blaze. Then Ember while you back off."

He was forcing himself to keep his voice level and breathe as normally as he could. Blaze ducked, just barely, under Lucario's wild Bone Rush and swept its legs, bringing the aura Pokémon crashing to the ground. Milo's Monferno backed away quickly while shooting the Fire attack for super effective damage to the half steel type.

"So that's your game now, huh Milo? Alright then, Lucario, Aura Sphere!"

"Return to sender, Blaze. Brick Break."

Lucario's signature move zipped across the field, and Blaze gritted his teeth. He timed his Brick Break perfectly, and the two Fighting moves bounced off one another. Blaze took some damage and slid backwards, but Lucario was not ready for its own Aura Sphere, and took another big hit. Milo wondered momentarily whether Lucario was still okay to battle.

"RAAAA!"

Lucario was definitely ready and willing to keep battling. It was glaring furiously at Blaze, who stared back cautiously.

"Lucario, I need every Aura Sphere you've got!"

With another ferocious yell, Lucario began firing rapid fire Aura Sphere's at Blaze, who dodged nimbly on instinct as Milo's brain jumped into action to help his partner escape.

"Another Double Team, Blaze! Then Mach Punch!"

It almost didn't work. Lucario's pace was blistering; it could take out the Double Team copies almost as fast as Blaze could make them. Ultimately, it was too tired to keep it up, and Blaze got up enough copies to work his way around behind Lucario. He had the split second he needed to launch a Mach Punch from behind Lucario. The lightning quick super effective hit was enough to make the Aura Pokémon stumble, drop to its knees, and finally fall over, unconscious. Exhausted from the intense battle, Blaze smiled tiredly at Milo, who recalled him gratefully amidst thunderous applause and cheers from the onlookers.

Maylene approached him and shook his hand vigorously;

"That was incredible! I knew you could plan well, but that was also an exhibition of absolute trust from your team! I'm honored to present you with this Cobble Badge. I also _really_ hope you'll let me post that on the BattleNet for everyone to see."

"Go ahead and post it. Thank you for the badge!" Milo winked at the Gym Leader and added, "Best of luck against Amaya later, too. She's got a lot more firepower than I do."

As Milo went to heal his team and congratulate them, he met Amaya outside the Gym.

"Nice battle, as usual. That was really gutsy, putting Ferra in against a Machoke like that."

"I knew she could do it. Machoke probably doesn't fight many small opponents like her."

"Fair enough. Well, I'm headed to the Center, I think I'll spend my time training there until my battle this afternoon."

"Good idea", agreed Milo, "I'll heal my team, and head back to the Gym. Maybe watch some of those 'pretty girls with pretty Pokémon' as you call them."

"You're such a guy", Amaya rolled her eyes, "I'll see you over there in a few hours."

The more he thought about it, the more Milo was excited about watching the Showcase. He'd never seen one in person before, and it was a totally different way of working with Pokémon. Many Trainers looked down on Performers, like Amaya, but some were more accepting. After all, Ash Ketchum had married a Performer – Kalos Queen Serena herself, no less. After Nurse Joy kindly healed Milo's team he released and congratulated all of them on their victory. It was far from a flawless victory, but it was still a clean sweep, 3-0. After promising to go over their battle in more detail later, he returned his friends and headed back towards the Gym.

As it happened, he was almost late, and had to hurry in to find a seat before the first round began. The first round was themed according to the Gym setting; each Performer and their Pokémon partner had to complete a two-legged obstacle course and break several martial arts boards. It seemed that most Performers opted to take the first leg themselves, to give their Pokémon an example to follow for the second leg. Milo watched with some amusement, noting that some of the obstacles were similar to drills that he put his team through regularly.

When the first set of Rookie Performers had finished, most were breathing heavily. Only the winning team was granted passage into the second round. Milo politely applauded the first winner, who was positively brimming with excitement.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, we present to you our next three lovely Performers! Please welcome…Shian! Marie! And Kara!"

Milo's ears perked at the last name on the list. He remembered watching Kara perform on television when he watched the previous Veilstone Showcase from the Eterna Pokémon Center.

Sure enough, it was the same Kara. She was quite stunning, with bright blue eyes that accentuated her bright face, framed by her long honey blonde hair.

Milo shook himself, focusing back in on the Performance round that was about to start.

Marie and Shian both lined up to do the first leg themselves, like the first round Performers, but Kara gestured to her Leafeon to take the first run. As the master of ceremonies signaled the beginning of the round, Milo remarked to himself;

 _That's really interesting. Kara trusts her Leafeon enough to let it go first so she can close out the round herself. I like that decision a lot._

He was satisfied to see it pay off, too, as Leafeon elegantly put the two Performers to shame through the obstacle course, moving with stunning grace. At the end, Leafeon barely had to stop moving as it used two perfectly aimed Leaf Blade attacks to sweep through the boards and release Kara herself for the second leg.

By the time the two other Performers finished the first leg, their Pokémon were already a good fifteen seconds behind Kara, who was sprinting through the obstacle course with a focused serenity that rivaled that of her Leafeon. She struggled to break the boards, though, and in the end was almost caught by a Machop that made a valiant attempt at a comeback. Still, when all was said and done, Kara was moving on to the second round.

The last two sets were not nearly as breathtaking as Kara's first round showing, and Milo was almost bored, when at last the MC congratulated the four finalists;

"And now, please put your hands together for our second round Rookie Performers! Here to dazzle us with spectacular freestyle Performances – Janice, Kara, Michelle, and Bridget!"

Only when the names were announced did Milo realize how invested he was in seeing Kara perform firsthand. She had impressed more than anyone else in the first round, and he couldn't help but notice that she was _definitely_ the prettiest girl with the prettiest Pokémon.

Milo released his Pokémon to watch, and settled in as the freestyle round kicked off.

First up was Janice, who used a Mothim with several psychic moves to bounce projectiles gracefully off of the solid head of a Shieldon, who added rocks and artistic metal displays to the mix. It was an unusual combination, but decently aesthetic. She received healthy applause.

Next came Bridget. Bridget's Pokémon were far more hyperactive than Janice's, she had a Pachirisu and a Wooper. Pachirisu's electric bolts were absorbed, dispersed and reflected by Wooper, whose Ground typing rendered them harmless. Bridget herself danced about the stage, often coming within inches of the colorful electric shocks racing between her Pokémon. Her Performance attracted a lot of attention, certainly more than Janice.

As the next name was called, Milo sat forward in his seat, prompting a wry grin from Azura;

 _It seems Marcus isn't the only brother in the family with a weakness for beautiful girls with Grass types. Her Leafeon is a joy to watch, she's been very well-raised._

"Please welcome out third freestyle Performer…Kara!"

Milo blushed slightly and shot Azura a look, _I don't know what you're talking about. She's the best Performer here by a mile, of course I'm excited to see her freestyle!_

To his Trainer's chagrin, Blaze jumped in, _Sure, sure, Milo. Still, you're a lot more excited about Kara than the rest of them put together. I do believe you have a crush._

 _….Shut up, both of you._

His two partners chuckled conspiratorially, but the Jubilife Trainer paid them no more heed as Kara began to perform, using a Froslass and a Scizor.

Each Pokémon showed a great command of its powers. Scizor and Froslass did some individual moves that alone were impressive as all-get-out. The real treat, though, was the finale.

Froslass kicked it off with a weak Blizzard that, combined with an earlier Aurora Veil, set a magical scene, as gentle snowflakes fluttered about the stage.

"Now, Frost! Ice Shard! Zexon, jump, Acrobatics and Metal Claw!"

The whole audience held their breath at the result. Frost, the Froslass, summoned several sizeable ice spikes about fifteen feet above the stage and let them start to fall. The spikes were in a ring around the stage's perimeter, with one falling in the center of the circle – straight towards an unmoving Kara.

While Frost had been summoning the spikes, Zexon, the Scizor, gave a mighty leap and then flew into an impressive Acrobatics attack, flying almost faster than the eye could see around the ring, his Metal Claw shattering each ice spike. The masterful display culminated when Scizor landed on the final spike, now less than five feet from Kara's head, and smashed it with a giant Flash Cannon. Prismatic slivers of ice fluttered to the ground along with the last of the snow from the Blizzard, and Kara stood, breathless herself, beaming safely at the audience from the center of the stage.

Milo joined in the massive cheer that arose from those present.

"Holy…did you guys see that?"

 _Whoa. I don't think even we would've tried that Milo_ , noted Azura respectfully.

Even Blaze, who had enjoyed a good laugh at the Performers' expense during the first round, was on his feet showing his appreciation of the dominant display of trust and control.

 _I feel kind of bad for the last girl though_ , said Milo mentally to his team, _Imagine having to follow after that._

 _Good point_ , chuckled Azura, _I don't envy her job._

Unfortunately, Michelle was too intimidated by Kara's performance to put up any kind of a fight. She did okay, using a Glameow and a Wingull to create some interesting combinations, but everyone knew it was barely and afterthought given that nobody but Kara could possibly win. Sure enough, when the MC called for the audience to place their glowcaster votes, Kara won by a landslide, and was duly awarded the Princess Key.

 _Milo_ , Azura got his attention, _I know Amaya's battle is coming up, but…I'd like to go explore the city a bit._

 _Why?_

 _Something about this place, it – it takes me back. I remember parts of this city from right after my parents…well, from when I was younger. Being here again, I guess it reminds me how far I've come. How lucky I am._

At this point, Blaze hopped up on the empty seat next to Milo and asked, _Can I go too? I'd like to go find my old neighborhood._

Milo considered this carefully. He trusted his Pokémon, but Veilstone was known as Sinnoh's most potentially dangerous city for those who didn't know how to be careful.

 _As long as you both stick together that's fine. Remember to be careful, especially if you end up in a rough section of town, okay?_

 _Yep_ , Azura was already on her way out, Blaze in tow, _We'll see you later, we shouldn't be too long. Thanks!_

-o-

Milo only had to wait another half hour for the Gym to begin buzzing again in anticipation of Amaya's battle with Maylene. He was rather looking forward to the element of surprise, he'd not yet seen anything of Spirielle's battling.

 **Kara**

She allowed herself a sigh of relief and a small chuckle as she let herself out the back door of the Veilstone Gym. She just didn't feel like answering five million questions about Serena today. It was always going to be like that, she remarked to herself, no matter how well she did. It would always be 'How do you compare to Serena when she was your age?' or 'Has Serena given you any advice?', that kind of thing. That was the only problem with having a famous cousin; nobody cared about _Kara's_ career. Not even her parents.

She gave herself a little shake. This was no time to be down about that again, she'd just won another Princess Key!

"You were great in the theme round, Verdante", she smiled at her Leafeon, who was walking next to her, "thank you again. You put the rest to shame."

"Fee", responded the Grass Eeveelution with a bright, genuine smile, "Fee Feon!"

"Anyway, do you have any idea how to get back to the hotel from here?"

Verdante had no clue, and Kara was left walking aimlessly down the street, hoping for some kind of map or someone who looked like they might know how to direct her. Neither of these was forthcoming, so she kept on wandering.

Nerves started creeping in as she noticed her surroundings starting to look more and more disheveled. She returned Verdante to her Pokéball to attract less attention. The people who hurried past her seemed more and more suspicious-looking, too.

 _Okaaaayy…This doesn't look like the best neighborhood to be lost in. Time to turn back._

Just as she turned around and tried to make her way back as unassumingly as she could, a psychic force yanked her into an alleyway. She landed hard on the concrete and cried out as she felt her wrist twist painfully. Now she was really starting to panic. She fumbled in her bag with her other hand for her Pokéballs, her nervous trembling not helping matters.

"Hey there, girly", came a sassy female voice, "What's in the bag? There wouldn't be any – I don't know – Pokémon in there, would there?"

A woman with a black cutoff shirt and black pants with pink highlights emerged from the shadow of a building, an Espeon trailing behind her. Kara could feel her heart pumping inside her. Suddenly, on instinct, she turned and tried to bolt down the alley, but she was stopped by a menacing Ariados and a similarly dressed woman, who laughed softly,

"Why are you running away? We don't want to hurt you. Just let us see those marvelous Pokémon of yours, dear. Now."

Kara could hardly keep herself from hyperventilating with fear, and finally she found what she'd been digging for;

"Zexon, I need you!"

Zexon, her Scizor, emerged and took stock of what was going on in an instant. Before he could act, a Swift and a Pin Missile flew down the alley, and Kara screamed as she was caught in the crossfire. She fell back against the wall behind her, hurt and terrified. Her voice failed her, and she could only look desperately, pleadingly at her Scizor.

"Zor", was all he said before firing every attack he could muster in both directions, attempting to drive off the Pokémon who dared attack the human he had long since sworn to protect. His barrage seemed to be working, at least for a time. After a few seconds, though, Annie and Oakley – for it was indeed Team Rocket's two best hunters who were attacking Kara – reclaimed control of the situation, and began coordinating their attacks to take advantage of the two versus one matchup.

Zexon was an experienced and skilled fighter, and fended off his assailants for a good few minutes, but eventually he started to be overwhelmed.

Just as Kara was thinking that surrender might be her only option, two Pokémon jumped down from the roof above the whole scene and began bludgeoning Team Rocket; it was a Monferno and what seemed to be a blue Umbreon.

"You?" Oakley was furious, "Not possible! What the hell are _they_ doing here?"

Invigorated by the unexpected support, Zexon threw himself heroically back into the fight which now swung in favor of the defenders. In seconds, Annie called a retreat;

"We'll be back. You just watch yourself, girl. Oakley, let's scram for now."

"Agreed, Annie. Come on, Ariados."

Just like that, they were gone, and Zexon collapsed to the ground, exhausted from the sudden and intense battle. The Umbreon and Monferno held a short conversation, before the Monferno sprinted away faster than Kara would have expected. The blue Umbreon padded quietly over to the severely injured Kara, but stopped when Zexon growled at her, struggling to pull himself off the pavement.

The newcomer said something to him, and they stared at one another briefly, before the brave Scizor nodded and the Umbreon nuzzled in close to Kara, its blue stripes glowing warmly as it did its best to comfort the terrified girl.

Kara looked at her trusted Scizor, who nodded slowly and confidently. She'd never been one of those to understand Pokémon, but in this case the meaning was clear. Something the two rescuers had said told Zexon that it would be alright. Help was on the way.

 **Milo**

 _Well_ , thought Milo as Amaya's Gym battle started, _looks like she took my advice after all_.

Leon had just been called against Maylene's Meditite. The opening exchanges were guarded, to say the least. Neither side made any move to close the distance. Leon's Crunch was enough to beat back Meditite's Confusion attacks.

"Let's pick this up a notch", said Maylene with a confident grin, "Rock Tomb!"

Amaya had learned her lesson; Leon wasn't the type to take a hit in order to respond.

"Get out of there, Leon!"

"Now Drain Punch, Meditite!"

 _Oh, that's good_ , thought Milo. Maylene had forced Leon to dodge in order to open him up for the real attack – the Rock Tomb was only meant to force Amaya to make a move. As Drain Punch struck, Amaya grimaced, but then called out;

"Thunder Fang!"

As Meditite stood still briefly to absorb the energy from Drain Punch, Leon pushed himself up with surprising alacrity and landed a big Thunder Fang that belied his small size. Meditite was reeling, but Maylene recovered just as quickly,

"You're okay, Meditite, Fake Out!"

"Don't let it get away, Leon! Spark!"

Milo shook his head. Amaya had played right into Maylene's hands again. Fake Out did its job, and Leon took another hit, getting up more slowly this time.

"Come on, buddy", Amaya encouraged him, "We need this!"

"Another Drain Punch!"

"Dodge!"

The dodging tactic had worked when Leon was less tired and working against a slower move, but this time he was helpless as another big hit came in. Meditite refreshed itself as Leon growled, forcing himself upright.

 _Geez, 'Maya,_ thought Milo, slightly worried, _Get a grip. You're better than this…_

"Leon, Crunch!"

"Shiiii-"

The little Shinx instead stood perfectly still and began to glow. Every onlooker held their breath as the Flash Pokémon evolved before their eyes.

"LU! LUXIO!"

"Yes! Leon, this is perfect! Alright, _now_ show me a Crunch!"

The rejuvenated Leon instead leapt forward with a glowing dark claw, delivering a whopping Night Slash to the bewildered Meditite.

"Great!" Amaya wasn't going to argue with a new move, "Now show me what kind of electric firepower you've got!"

Another new move zipped across the field. Helpless to counter, the hapless Meditite took a Thunderbolt to the chest, and was down for the count.

"Meditite is unable to battle, Luxio is the winner!"

Milo was still applauding his friend when he heard Blaze in his mind;

 _MILO! Milo, come quick, we need help! It's Team Rocket again!_

Instantly serious, Milo stood and unobtrusively made his way out of the stands before breaking into a sprint to get out of the Gym.

 _Blaze, where are you? Talk to me, what's the matter?_

Milo's Monferno came flying around the corner, clearly out of breath, and nearly collided with his Trainer. He took a second to gather himself before reporting as quickly as he could;

 _We heard some yells, and saw Team Rocket attacking that girl from the Showcase. Her Scizor was protecting her, but it was losing, so Azura and I helped out. They left, but – Milo, she's hurt, and they're in a bad area. Come on, they need our help!_

 _Take me there_ , said Milo. Blaze nodded and ran off with Milo hot on his heels. Luckily, the place in question was only a few minutes from the Gym, as the Monferno sprints. Milo arrived, gasping for air, and saw Azura huddled protectively against the girl who'd just won the Princess Key – Kara.

He stood stock still in the alley. He had never in his life been in a situation like this, and panic started to set in. Azura noticed and spoke sharply in his mind without moving from Kara's side;

 _Milo, focus. We need you. Call for help and help me get her up._

"Yeah", stammered Milo, "Yeah, call for help, sure…umm…"

 _Milo! Do it now! She's unconscious, and still bleeding!_

Milo gave his head a big shake and snapped into action at Azura's insistence. He pulled up the emergency number on his watch, and a screen popped up with an emergency responder, who asked,

"Veilstone Emergency Center, what's the nature of your emergency?"

"Hi, I'm a few minutes north of the Gym, there's a girl here who got attacked and she needs help, but she can't move on her own. Can you send someone to us?"

"Just a moment, sir, we're pulling your location…okay, we can be there in ten minutes. It seems you're in Northtown, I'd advise you to move back towards the Gym if you think you can move her without causing further injury. We will meet you along the road and get her the rest of the way to the hospital. Can you do that?"

"Uh, yeah. Yes", Milo was slowly regaining his confidence and composure, "Yes, I can do that. I'll get her up and get moving towards the Gym."

"Okay, thank you, sir. What's your name, and what's hers?"

"I'm Milo, and her name is Kara."

"Alright. Thank you Milo, we'll see you as soon as we can."

Milo hung up, and took a breath to gather his nerve. As he approached Azura and Kara, he released all his Pokémon, and gave instructions;

"Okay, guys, I hope we'll be alright, but just in case I want you to walk around us as we get her out of here. It's not our strong suit, but I need you to try to look mean; we really need people not to mess with us. Got it?"

Drake got a fiery look in his eyes, and responded instantly;

 _Oh, I can look mean, alright. Just watch._

With that, as if on command, he began glowing, and within five seconds a Gabite stood in his place with a confident smirk.

 _What are you staring at? This is much meaner than a Gible. Let's go! Come on!_

"Wow", Milo was at a loss, "okay, uh, cool. You just – okay, you're right. We need to get going."

He knelt down very carefully, and found an open Pokéball next to Kara, who was already very weak. He used it to return her injured Scizor, and gingerly lifted the young Performer in his arms.

"Okay, I've got her", he said, "let's move."

As quickly as they dared, Milo and his team moved south, back towards the Gym, with the newly evolved Drake leading the way, glowering at anyone who got too close. As they walked, Milo heard a very small, rasping voice;

"Thank you…please make sure…Zexon is okay…"

He looked down to see Kara's eyes fluttering, half-open. He gave her the most encouraging smile he could come up with and reassured her,

"We've got you, and the ambulance is headed this way. You and your Pokémon are going to make it, Kara, no doubt."

A fleeting grin flashed across her bruised face before she faded back out. Milo was beyond relieved to hear the screaming sirens as they approached the Gym. The ambulance met them two blocks from the Gym and the paramedics, both human and Pokémon, immediately took Kara and placed her in the back of their vehicle. Milo felt rather cut out, as if he was suddenly going to be left behind after everything he'd just done, but Officer Jenny pulled up a second later, and said,

"You were the one who called it in?"

"Y-yes, Officer. That was me. My Pokémon alerted me to her situation."

"We'll need your statements then, please come with me."

Wordlessly, Milo returned his team and jumped in the sidecar of Officer Jenny's motorcycle. The way she drove, they maneuvered manically through the Veilstone streets to reach the precinct within five minutes, a real feat.

Milo told Officer Jenny everything he knew, and related everything that Blaze and Azura told him as well. Jenny was at first suspicious of his mental connection to his team, but the information they had was too clear to disbelieve. It was fifteen minutes into his narrative that Amaya burst into the police station and hurriedly found Milo.

"Milo, there you are! I beat Maylene, but – I've been looking everywhere for you, what the heck happened? Why are you here, of all places?"

Officer Jenny gave her a stern look, and said, "Please don't interrupt, Milo is giving a statement as an eyewitness to a mugging gone wrong. Feel free to wait outside."

Amaya's eyes went wide, and she silently backed out of the room, closing the door behind her. It took another half an hour for Milo to finish giving his statement, and for Officer Jenny to ask enough questions that she felt confident about the events. She was unsure whether they would be able to catch Annie and Oakley, but she reassured Milo on that account as best she could;

"Just know your information will be invaluable once we eventually catch up to those two. Someday we will, and then all of this will come back to them in a big way. Thank you so much, Milo, you and your Pokémon are heroes for this, and I'll make sure the proper authorities know about what you did."

"Thanks, Officer Jenny, but I'd really rather this stay quiet. Really, I'm just glad I could be there to help, that's enough for me."

"That's incredibly humble of you, Milo, but I'll still tell the city officials so we can at least quietly give you some kind of commendation, even if there's no public ceremony. You deserve something for your brave intervention."

Milo thought about insisting, but thought it best to drop the issue, "I…alright, Officer. Again, thank you. Uh, do you think they'll let me see her at the hospital? I'd like to check and make sure she's okay…"

With a gracious smile, Jenny picked up the phone and winked, "I'll tell them you're coming. You can head over."

Milo left the interview room, and motioned to Amaya;

"I'm headed over to the hospital. Can we walk and talk? I'm sorry for disappearing in the middle of your battle, I can explain."

"You're darn right you can explain. Get started. What's this about a mugging?"

So, just as he had with Officer Jenny, Milo related every last detail of the afternoon's wild events, answering dozens of questions along the way.

"So", Amaya began once he'd finished, "we're headed to see this Kara girl now?"

"I mean, yeah. When you help save someone, you have this weird vested interest in making sure they're okay…"

"I'm not arguing, just checking to be sure."

As the two bantered, they walked into the hospital's main entrance, and Milo approached the reception desk.

"Hi, we're here to see a girl who just checked in? Kara? Officer Jenny said she would call about our visit…"

"Milo", came a voice from off to their left, "and Amaya, right?"

A nurse, clipboard in hand, had just emerged from the hallway behind the desk.

"Yes, that's us. Can you take us to Kara?"

"Perfect", the lady gave them a smile, "I was just coming out here to see if you were here yet. Kara's this way!"

Milo and Amaya followed obediently, and were led to a room three floors up. They stopped outside the door, and the nurse told them,

"She's awake, and is looking much better. She and her Scizor should make a full recovery fairly quickly. We were able to patch them up before their wounds got to be too serious. She was lucky; if you hadn't gotten her here so quickly, this could easily have gone a _lot_ worse for both of them. As it stands, she'll just need some treatment and some rest."

Milo nodded, and slowly opened the door.

"Zor!" Zexon the Scizor, it appeared, would not be separated from his Trainer. Despite being covered in bandages, the Pincer Pokémon was seated vigilantly in the armchair across from Kara's hospital bed. It stood at the sound of the door, but was relieved to see Milo. Azura walked forward to greet him, and they exchanged a solemn nod before the protective Steel type returned to his seat.

"You're…Milo?"

Kara's voice immediately drew the young man's attention. He released Blaze and strode to the Performer's side;

"Kara, hi. Yes, I'm Milo. This is Blaze, and I think you met Azura down there by your feet. That back there is my friend Amaya."

Kara flashed the group a weak smile, "I've seen you guys. I mean, before tonight. You're the Rookies everyone's going on about, right? The ones going around the Gyms?"

Milo was embarrassed, so Amaya answered, "Yep, that's us. Three down, five to go; we both beat Maylene today, in fact. Also", Amaya seemed suddenly uncertain at how to convey sympathy, "I'm, umm, really sorry about what happened to you. Team Rocket's given us issues before, but nothing like this. Anything we can do, we'd be glad to help…"

"Well", Kara laid a bandage-covered hand on Milo's arm, "thanks to my hero and his brave team, I should be alright. Thank you, Milo. I can't express how grateful I am. Zexon did everything he could, but if you and your team hadn't driven them off…I might not be here."

"I did the right thing, that's all", Milo blushed as he tried to give proper credit, "Blaze and Azura were the ones to jump in. I'm really glad they were there to help. They're pretty cool."

Amaya got Milo's attention and said quietly, "Hey, I think I'm going to head back, three's a crowd here. You should stay, though, I think it'd be good for her to have someone with her, you know?"

Milo blinked, it took him a minute to catch the drift, "O-okay. I can stay. I'll see you in the morning?"

"Yep. Call if you need anything."

 _So,_ thought Milo, _she's capable of care and tenderness after all. Amaya, you're full of surprises._

After Amaya left, Milo fell back into conversation with the recovering Kara. They laughed about having seen one another on television, and discussed both battling and performing.

"You know", remarked Kara at one point, "I really envy you travelling Trainers. Just going around Sinnoh with your Pokémon, wherever the road takes you… What a life."

"Yeah, I like it", Milo answered with a grin, "but don't Performers do the same?"

Kara's face fell slightly, "Usually we do, but not this Performer. These last couple Showcases in Veilstone have been my first."

"Your first?" Milo's surprise was evident in his voice, "I'd never have thought that, you're a natural. Why haven't you done any other Showcases before these?"

Kara smiled almost apologetically and said, "Truth be told, I'm kind of a runaway. I've always wanted to be a Performer, my whole life, but my parents would never allow it. I did all kinds of unofficial Performances back home in Floaroma, but my parents wouldn't let me compete properly. They're both florists, and they forbid me to do anything else with my life."

"Man, that's rough. So you ran away to compete, huh?"

"I did. I just…Something tells me I was born for this. I love doing it, and it runs in the family."

"The family? I thought you said your parents were florists?"

"They are", Kara rolled her clear, blue eyes and said almost deviously, "but my mom's sister's family is a whole other story."

Milo, who was seated on the edge of the aspiring Performer's bed, leaned in excitedly, "Do tell!"

"My mom's sister, Grace, was a famous Ryhorn racer back in the day, and her daughter, my cousin, is the reigning Kalos Queen."

"Wait", Milo soon put two and two together, and his eyes grew wide, "your cousin is Serena Ketchum? No way, that's crazy! No wonder you're a natural! You know what else, you and I have more in common than you'd think."

It was Kara's turn to be intrigued, "How so?"

"Well, we both have famous relatives, for one; my brother Marcus leads the Hearthome Gym. We're both also surprisingly close to Ash Ketchum; I grew up in Jubilife learning Pokémon care from his mom, Deliah Ketchum."

At that, Kara's bright eyes twinkled, "Oh, I love her! I've met her a few times, when I visited Serena! Small world, isn't it?"

They talked a while more, until Kara's head began to nod. Milo smiled, and quietly pulled her sheets closer around her, before returning his Pokémon and settling into an armchair to fall asleep himself. He never liked to make his team spend the night in their Pokéballs, but there wasn't enough space in the hospital room.

The next morning, Milo experienced something he never had before. After getting breakfast for himself and Kara from the hospital's cafeteria, a nurse came in, with a Pokémon assistant, an Audino.

"Nurse Audino, can you check her vitals while I examine these scabs and marks?"

Milo stayed out of the way, unsure of what was happening, but seconds later, the Nurse seemed to come to the conclusion that Kara was sufficiently recovered for…whatever was about to happen.

"Okay, I see no reason to delay. Nurse Audino, do you agree?"

"Audino", the Pokémon nodded.

"Very well, then. Miss Kara, if you could just relax, this might feel strange. Nurse Audino, go ahead and use Heal Pulse."

Audino placed its hands on Kara and a warm glow issued from the points of contact outwards over Kara's whole body. The effect was instantly visible; the scars, scabs and bruises from the episode of the previous night simply faded away, and relief was evident in Kara's face.

"That's incredible", Milo blurted out, "how does that work?"

The nurse turned and explained briefly, "We have to use it carefully, because the effects of any Pokémon move on humans can be more complicated than we understand. However, it seems that a patient who is mostly recovered benefits greatly from limited exposure to a controlled Heal Pulse."

"Why wait until they're already mostly better?"

"Well, I'm no expert", the nurse gave a quick disclaimer, "but I think Heal Pulse will just go over a human system and fix superficial injuries, so if a patient has significant issues, they could be healed incorrectly, and make the problem worse."

Kara smiled and patted the Audino's arm, "Thank you so much, Nurse Audino!"

"Aud Audino no!"

"Actually", the nurse addressed Kara, "since the Heal Pulse treatment seems to have been successful, we'll keep you another hour to ensure there's no delayed reaction, and then you're clear to go!"

After the Nurse left, Kara turned immediately to Milo and said,

"Milo, I just…can't thank you enough. You saved me, and then you stayed with me here, there's no way I can repay you."

"Well", he smiled, "I was never going to _not_ help. You should really be thanking my team, they brought me in and fought off Annie and Oakley."

Milo released his Pokémon, and Kara thanked them as well,

"All of you, thank you so much! Zexon and I owe you our lives!"

Aurora, full of her usual energy and positivity, bounded onto Kara's bed and snuggled happily with the Performer, commenting to Milo,

 _She's so pretty, and nice and soft and friendly! Milo, can we keep her?_

"What? Aurora, what kind of question is that?"

As Kara looked bewildered at his outburst, Milo realized he'd responded verbally to a mental question, and explained briefly, and awkwardly,

"Oh, uh, I can sort of…talk to my team. In my head. It sounds crazy, but, well, yeah."

Kara's sky blue eyes got very wide, "That's incredible! What did Aurora ask?"

"Oh, that? Well, she…she likes you and she wanted to know about your Pokémon."

Milo thought his little lie was as convincing as it needed to be, but Aurora protested, shaking her head violently.

 _Hey! That's not what I said! Don't lie, Milo!_

Kara giggled, "It seems Aurora doesn't agree with your claim, there."

"Yeah, alright. You caught me. This is super awkward, but she says you're pretty, and friendly, and stuff and…she asked me if we could keep you. Which is ridiculous, of course. Sorry about that."

Kara laughed before responding, "Well, I'm quite flattered, Aurora. I think you're pretty and friendly, too. Hey, Milo can you help me up? I'd like to stretch my legs."

Milo obliged, holding Kara's hand as she stood, putting his other hand gingerly around her waist as support. Amaya chose that moment to walk into the room, and with a mischievous smirk, said,

"Well, good morning to you two. I see you're getting along _just fine_ here, huh Milo? Hey, wait, Drake evolved! When the heck did that happen?"

Milo was about to tell the story when he realized he hadn't had time to actually find out what caused it.

 _How did that work, Drake? I've never seen a Pokémon evolve on command like that._

 _I'd felt it coming on for a while. It just was waiting to be triggered. Then that all happened, and I knew that you needed – well, she needed – me to help, and in that moment I just knew it would work._

"Huh", Milo explained to the two girls, "Seems like he knew it was time, and he knew Kara need us, so he just kind of let it rip. I like it, pal, the new look suits you. One more, and then you're Garchomp!"

The short, feisty Twinleaf Trainer leaned against a wall, "Well, alright then. Kara, what're your plans now? Milo and I are probably headed to Pastoria next."

"I…Truthfully, I'm kind of stuck. I ran away from home to compete here, so I _should_ go back to Floaroma eventually, but I'll have to find a way – I spent my money getting here – and I'll have to deal with my parents. That's never fun, especially by myself."

Kara was still leaning on Milo for support, but the both of them nearly fell over when Amaya shrugged and said,

"Well, you can come with us. We can detour back to Floaroma and take you with us from there. Milo, any objections?"

Aurora began jumping for joy (literally), and all but screamed in Milo's brain;

 _PLEASE! Milo, can we PLEEEASE take her with us? C'mon, it'll be SOOO FUN!_

Azura also padded forward and offered her thoughts, with a devious grin, _I don't think you'd mind keeping in company with the lovely young Kara, would you Milo?_

Milo gave both of them a look, and said, "You two have made your point, you can stop now. I have no problem with that, I'd love to have you along, Kara, if you want to come."

He looked at Kara to find her staring at him, her whole face brightened with excitement. She wrapped her arms tightly around him and said,

"Oh my gosh, that would be the best! If that's really okay, I would love to come with you two!"

She pulled away from her attack hug and Milo saw a tear brimming in the honey blonde's eyes.

"You have no idea how much this means to me, really. Ah! I almost can't believe this is happening! We're really going on a Sinnoh journey! AH!"

She threw herself at Milo once more, and he flushed instantly, awkwardly returning her hug before glaring pointedly at Amaya, who was silently cackling from her spot in the entry way.

After the allotted hour had passed, Kara was released from the hospital and returned to her hotel room to get her things.

 _You know_ , said Blaze when Kara met them in the lobby, _she brings up our average fashion level by about a million. Neither of you could wear jeans and a t-shirt and look anywhere close to that good._

 _Ha ha. You're done,_ was Milo's response.

With that, they were off, making the multi-day journey to Floaroma on foot. Veilstone had provided them a great deal of adventure and novelty, as well as two Gym badges and a new travelling companion.

 **Author's Notes: Here's the Veilstone chapter! There's a lot going on here, I had to make a conscious effort to keep it to a reasonable length, but I'm fairly pleased with how it came out. Your thoughts? What is your first impression of Kara? If you were wondering, that's pronounced Car-uh.**

 **I STILL don't own Pokémon, by the way. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, compliments, or anything at all, I'd LOVE for you to leave a review and tell/ask me! I always enjoy hearing from you! If you enjoy the story, be sure to follow/favorite to keep updated, and help others find it here, too! Thanks for reading, cheers to all!**


	14. Chapter 14 - All's Fair

**Author's Pre-Notes: I don't usually put these at the beginning, but I wanted to catch you now to ask you to** _ **please**_ **read the longer-than-usual notes at the end, for the good of the story!**

Milo Chapter 14 – All's Fair

"Remember his follow through, Blaze! The follow through! There you go, perfect!"

"Woohoo! Keep at him, Zexon! You'll get him soon!"

The afternoon sun shone down pleasantly on Milo and Kara as they rested by a stream in the middle of Route 206. The refreshing breeze washed over a training bout between Kara's Scizor and Milo's Monferno, who were becoming fast friends and rivals on the battle field. Blaze's type advantage and raw speed usually won out, but Zexon had unbelievable determination, and his will to win and capacity for taking hits often flummoxed Blaze's efforts to score an efficient victory.

Amaya, as usual, had gone off with her team for more 'serious training', which essentially meant she didn't feel like being around people just then. A short ways away, Azura and Verdante, Kara's Leafeon, were holding a nice conversation of some sort, while Aurora frolicked nearby. Drake, still learning to handle his new Gabite self, was helping Ferra improve on her agility.

As Milo let Blaze worry about his own training, his thoughts began to wander. He found that they couldn't seem to wander much farther than his new friend, who sat next to him smiling, hands wrapped around her knees, which were tucked into her chest. Her honey blonde hair fluttered picturesquely in the breeze as she grinned at whatever was going through her head. He replayed her story again in his mind, and a connection occurred to him;

"You know, Kara, I think there's someone in Eterna you might relate to pretty well."

"Yeah? Who?"

"Well", he stood and dusted himself, then offered Kara his hand to help her up, "I'll tell you when we get there; hopefully she's willing to share."

"Sorry to interrupt", Amaya was back, "but are we leaving soon?"

"Yes", Milo rolled his eyes as he answered, "I was just going to go find you. We should try and reach Eterna by late afternoon. Maybe we can meet up with Gardenia."

"Wait…the Gym Leader?" Kara asked, "Didn't you both already beat her?"

"Heck yeah, we did", Amaya answered with a proud smile, "but we know her kind of well. She's dating his brother Marcus."

"No! Really?"

Milo fed gleefully off of Kara's shock, "I know, right? It's on the down low, of course, but I _love_ giving him trouble about it."

The three young Trainers laughed and joked the rest of the way to Eterna. Milo was relieved to see Amaya and Kara start to connect. It had been Amaya's idea to invite the Performer along, but Milo had still been concerned, given their huge personality gap. Still, they got along splendidly, and in what seemed like no time at all they strolled right through the southern entrance to Eterna City. They were on their way to the Pokémon Center to drop their things off when a familiar voice hailed them;

"Ahoy there! Milo! Amaya!"

They turned to see the unmistakably odd, Lucario-themed garb of Archibald Montgomery, the self-appointed Aura Protector of Eterna. The outlandish man bounded up to them and greeted Kara exuberantly;

"Ah, and here's the fairest flower in all of Floaroma! I see you've at last blossomed into the Performer you've dreamt of being! Is it everything you'd hoped for?"

"Uh…sorry", Kara was shocked, but recovered quite well, "I don't believe we've been introduced. My name is Kara, but it seems you already know who I am. May I ask who you are?"

As Anubis, the silent and impassive Lucario, strolled up behind his Trainer, Ark Monty struck what he imagined to be a gallant pose and introduced himself;

"I am Archibald Montgomery, known throughout the Sinnoh Northwest as the one and only Aura Protector of Eterna City, and devoted Lucario enthusiast!"

"I see", Milo was amazed at how graciously Kara indulged the ever-flamboyant Ark, "In that case, Mr. Montgomery, it is my pleasure to meet such a distinguished Eterna citizen."

Milo chuckled as Amaya rolled her eyes, but Ark Monty continued, undeterred, "Ah, but the pleasure is all mine! Truly, your splendorous beauty is all the more breathtaking in person!"

Kara laughed brightly, and bantered right back, "Please, Mr. Montgomery, you flatter me. So, how do you know Milo and Amaya?"

With that subtle reminder, Ark seemed to remember why he had struck up the conversation in the first place, and gestured for them to walk and talk as he explained,

"Milo's Riolu brought us together, as it happens. I don't know how long you've been travelling together, but the story of her infancy makes quite the tale, if you've not heard it."

"I've told her all about Ferra", Milo cut in, "though I've actually got some news about that which will interest you; we went to the Lost Tower outside Solaceon and…Fenrir's spirit was there. We saw him, and he saw Ferra."

Ark Monty stopped dead in the middle of the sidewalk, gazing in awe at the news;

"Incredible…That must have been quite the experience for little Ferra."

"It was", Milo nodded somberly, recalling the emotional and unexpected event.

Recovering from the surprising news, Ark finally got to the point he'd originally wanted to bring up,

"As it happens, I saw your battles in Hearthome and Veilstone! I'm glad you've come back through here. I wanted to congratulate you in person; Ferra has grown so much in such a short time! She truly is her father's daughter, and Anubis and I are as proud of you both as anyone else."

Milo had assumed that Ark would be joining them for dinner, but as they approached the Pokémon Center, he suddenly dashed away, claiming there was 'important work' for him that couldn't wait any longer. As he left, the three young Trainers looked at one another and cracked up. Kara voiced the thoughts they all shared;

"Well, he's…interesting, to be sure."

"Yeah", Milo smiled, "great guy, really genuine, but he's absolutely an oddball."

"Not to mention his Lucario obsession", added Amaya, "I mean, who dresses like a Pokémon _all the time_?"

The trio dropped off their things in a room at the Center provided by the eternally helpful Nurse Joy, and meandered towards the Eterna Gym to see whether Gardenia was open to hanging out for a while.

As it happened, fate had yet another adventure in store for them. While they were still a block from the Gym, passing through the restaurant district, the Grass-type Leader herself walked out, in the company of a certain Hearthome Gym Leader to whom Milo was related…

"Hide, quick!" Milo hissed at his friends, shoving them, and himself, into an alleyway before peeking out. The brand new couple was walking down the street, arm in arm, away from them. This was Milo at his most devious. He grinned at his two travel companions and whispered,

"This must be the date they bet on! C'mon, let's follow them; I want to see how it's going!"

"Seriously?" Amaya was unimpressed, "I feel zero need to do this."

"Shh, Amaya stop whining. Come on, let's go!"

Milo had that feeling of pure mischief in his blood as he led Amaya and Kara from one building to the next, slinking down the Eterna city streets. He'd thought perhaps the unsuspecting couple would head back to the Gym, which would be quite boring, but to his delight they detoured to a secluded hilltop just outside the city. Amaya, who hadn't really been into it from the start, immediately said,

"Yeah, this is too romantic for me. I'm out, see you guys later."

Milo stuck out his tongue at her as she left, but was undeterred. As the two Gym Leaders sat to watch the sun set behind the city, he picked up some of their conversation;

"Speaking of Sunnyshore", Gardenia looked at Marcus with a warm smile, "have you heard from your family recently?"

"No", Marcus replied offhandedly, "but I know they'd call with any big news, so I'll just wait a week and get in touch if I haven't heard anything. Besides, they'll probably call and want to rave when Milo beats Wake. They always do, and we both know he'll trash Wake's Gym team. How about your sisters? Any word on how Viola's Gym renovations are going?"

"She's really excited about it; they seem to be going well. Actually", Gardenia turned again to face her new boyfriend with a nervous look in her eyes, "I wanted to ask you about this. She…she's so excited about this new look that she wants me to go see it. She wants to battle me – publicly – as the grand reopening of her Gym."

Marcus returned her look with one of hope, his arm coming up around her shoulders. The two shared a moment before the Hearthome Leader said, "Dee, that's so exciting, isn't it? That's such a good sign, maybe they're finally willing to put the past behind them!"

"Thanks, Marcus", Gardenia's voice was tired and soft, and she buried her head in his chest, "I'm excited too, but I'm also nervous. We've talked for years, but it's been so long since we've done anything together as sisters…what if it doesn't go well? What if we start arguing again, or she really just wants to show off or-"

"Hey, hey, it's okay", Marcus stroked her hair gently, "if you want, I'll go with you, for support. I think what you're imagining is worst case scenario, there's every chance it'll go perfectly well."

"…How do you always know what I need to hear?"

In the trees behind this whole scene, Milo's face exploded into a huge smile. This was pure gold, seeing Marcus play the role of consoling, supportive boyfriend. A little voice in the back of his mind reminded him that he was completely ignoring Kara.

He turned to see the young Performer just as mesmerized as he was, until she felt his gaze and caught his eyes with her own. Milo only intended to take a moment to make sure she didn't mind staying, but his words caught in his throat. Suddenly all the little pieces clicked together; he and Kara were hidden together…watching a romantic scene…as the sun set over the trees…casting the last of its rays perfectly into her hair…making it shimmer in the magical evening night... The young man felt his heart speed up and his brain go fuzzy. Her eyes were such a brilliant shade of blue…

 _Milo?_ Aurora released herself at that exact moment and leaned against Milo's leg, _Can we eat soon? I'm really hungry._

 _Aurora!_ Azura followed her out, trying to remove the oblivious young Pokémon before the moment came crashing to an undignified end, _Aurora, come with me, let's go find some food out here, come on! Quickly!_

"Milo?" The two Pokémon bounded off, but it was too little too late. Marcus had heard the Pokéballs opening, and barged in to find Milo and Kara staring quite deeply at one another.

"What the hell are you doing here? Who is that?" He turned to Kara, "Who are you?"

"Marcus! Ah! Uh-"

"-I'm Kara…"

"Yeah, that's Kara. We were just, umm…"

Milo was spared the indignity of coming up with some shambolic excuse by Gardenia's tinkling giggle as she joined the awkward scene.

"Wow", she laughed, "this is _too_ good! Look Marcus, they tried to spy on us and it turned into a double date! Hahaha!"

"A double WHAT?" yelled Milo. The young Jubilife Trainer was growing exponentially more flustered by the second, as everything spiraled out of control at once.

Marcus picked up on the situation and abandoned his anger in favor of smug confidence. As an act of instant older-brother-style retribution for Milo's intrusion, he heaped further embarrassment on his younger sibling and turned the tables on the would-be date crashers;

"Hmm, looks like you're right, Dee. I don't even think he realizes they're holding hands."

Milo's gaze flicked down and he found to his horror that he was indeed clasping Kara's hand quite tightly in his own. His head shot back up to see her bright red face looking nervously at him, and he let go immediately. He missed, by chance, the flicker of disappointment that momentarily shadowed her face as he turned to face his older sibling again.

"Milo", Marcus began smoothly, "I do believe you've embarrassed yourself enough for one evening. Now escort this young lady back to the Pokémon Center like a gentleman on a proper date. Be warned; if you ever crash one of our dates again I _will_ sic Absol on you. On the spot."

Wordlessly, Milo and Kara turned to leave, but they had hardly begun walking off when Gardenia called after them;

"Ah, wait a moment! That's not very date-like is it? A real _gentleman_ would offer the lady his arm, or hold her hand, don't you think?"

Marcus agreed with as much false propriety as he could muster, "Why, that's true! Come on, Milo, do it right. Offer your arm, there you go…"

With seething anger, unspeakable humiliation, and heart-pumping nervousness all combining to short-circuit his brain, Milo could only tremulously proffer his arm, his face red as a Razz Berry.

He didn't know quite what to make of Kara, who delicately placed her arm without hesitation in his and gave him a small smile before they were at last allowed to leave by the older couple, who were all but beside themselves with laughter.

They walked in complete silence, arm in arm, all the way to the Pokémon Center. Only when they reached the door of the room Amaya had reserved for their group did he eke out a few words;

"I'm…really sorry about that. I'm _so_ sorry."

Her face was almost as red as his, but she smiled anyway. She shyly tucked her hair over her ear, and answered quietly, "Don't be sorry…it's okay. It was kind of funny, really. Memorable, at least...even nice."

"…yeah, I guess so."

They both stood there, the pause between them growing as neither moved to open the door. After a few seconds, Milo bit his lip and reached for the handle, but was stopped by Kara, who flung her arms around him in a surprise hug. It lasted only a second, before she released the (again) bewildered Milo and opened the door, bounding in cheerfully;

"Hey, Amaya! Sorry we were gone so long, we kind of got caught."

"Figures", came Amaya's typically disinterested reply from within the room, "what's up with Milo? Is he just standing out in the hallway?"

"Hmm? I guess. Marcus chewed him out pretty good, his brain's probably still cooling down. He almost set his Absol on us."

"I'd pay to see that. Well, whatever. I got you two some food."

Milo blinked at the mention of food, and was at last able to numbly enter the room and grab the plate that Amaya pointed out to him.

"Thanks."

"No problem, robot Milo", smirked the ever-sassy Twinleaf native, "Let us know when you're capable of meaningful human interaction. Serves you right for spying on two Gym Leaders like an idiot."

Milo ate his lukewarm dinner and said nothing, still attempting to process the mental and emotional shredder he'd just been put through. After a while, Azura and Aurora returned, and the young Eevee approached her Trainer cautiously, head down, a guilty expression on her face;

 _Hi, Milo. We found our own food. I…I'm sorry I messed up your special time with Miss Kara, I didn't know you really liked her like that._

Azura nudged her young teammate off into a corner like a child in time out, before sitting herself next to Milo and asking;

 _How bad was it? I'm sorry it got messed up…_

Mentally, Milo finally started to unpack the wild turn of events.

 _I…have no idea what just happened…_

He released the rest of his team, muttering to his two human companions, "I'm going to start letting them get settled."

Then he silently explained, one by one, the travesties and humiliations he'd been forced to endure, as well as his confusing emotional swamp. When he'd finished, Ferra crawled up his side and perched on his shoulder, asking innocently;

 _Papa, do you 'like' Miss Kara?_

 _No! …Yes? Maybe? I – I don't know! That's the problem. I mean, I just met her!_

 _So what?_ Blaze asked bluntly, _Who cares?_

Drake offered a rather bro-like explanation to his fiery teammate; _Humans get weird about that kind of thing. They have lots of unwritten rules that muck it all up._

Blaze nodded sagely, as if everything were suddenly much clearer. Milo rubbed his hands through his hair in frustration;

 _It's not about…look, can we all just not talk about this right now? I told you all what happened, so there. Let's agree to drop it._

He cast his eyes about for something to change the subject, and noticed Aurora still sulking in most un-Aurora-like fashion in the corner.

 _Azura, did you ground her or something?_

The shiny Umbreon sniffed primly, and replied;

 _Yes. Until either you or I give her permission she has to sit there and think about how she's going to be more careful in the future._

 _What?_ Milo raised an eyebrow at his first partner, before addressing the droop-eared Eevee;

 _Come on out, now, Aurora, I forgive you. No harm done._

In an instant, the young Pokémon bounded over to her Trainer, her face once more aglow with its usual childlike zeal as she settled into Milo's lap.

-o-

"Are you ready yet?"

"Chill, Amaya, give me five more minutes. Floaroma's not running away."

The next morning brought a bit of déjà vu to Milo; Amaya was rushing him as he double checked the group's supplies before leaving Eterna. Just like last time, the Pokémon had swarmed the training field outside and were running through some of their favorite drills and games. This time, the field was a bit more crowded; since they last visited Eterna, Milo had added (and evolved) Drake, and Amaya's Gastly, Spirielle, was a newcomer as well. It occurred briefly to Milo that he still hadn't seen her in a real battle setting.

Kara was out there with her three Pokémon as well. Her team got along splendidly with Milo's, for the most part. Azura and Verdante (Kara's Leafeon) were becoming fast friends, and both enjoyed playing with and corralling Aurora. Zexon and Blaze's friendship was blossoming into a healthy rivalry, and the Froslass…well, she didn't do much at all, except drift silently about in some kind of serene bubble, every inch the stereotypically removed Ghost-type.

He was at last satisfied that they were well-equipped for their day hike through Eterna Forest, so he gathered the metaphorical troops, and they headed out. They had just passed the last gate out of Eterna when something caught Milo's peripheral vision. High up on a rooftop to his left, a figure stood guard, looking down at them. Milo smiled to himself, and gave the figure a small nod. Ark Monty was seeing them off in his own unique, dramatic way.

Eterna Forest was, as before, dark and humid. Amaya wasted no time in pointing it out;

"Ugh. I hate getting through here. I'm drenched with sweat and we're literally just walking."

"I don't know", Kara was ever the optimist, "I think it has a certain mystifying ambiance to it."

"Yeah, that 'mystifying ambiance' is making my clothes stick to me."

Milo went ahead and pointed out the obvious; "To be fair, 'Maya, you chose to stick with a hoodie and sweatpants. Kara was smart enough to bring a tank top and shorts."

Amaya made as if she was going to make some kind of retort, but realized Milo was probably right, so she resorted to a silent scowl.

"Oh, look!" Kara graciously changed the topic, "A flock of Beautifly!"

She was right, a picturesque pack of the fragile Bug types fluttered by like something out of a fantasy movie or a travel postcard.

"You know", Milo recalled absentmindedly, "I've heard that as pretty as they look, they're actually pretty feisty when confronted. They actively shun flock members who aren't aggressive enough to stand up to the rest of the group. Like that one."

He pointed to one Beautifly that was lagging behind the pack. Each time it tried to rejoin its fellows, they beat it back with their wings. Amaya snorted;

"Hmph. Never would've thought those things had that much spunk. I guess I learned something today."

"Oh no, I feel so bad for it!" Kara was by far more sympathetic to the misfit Beautifly, "I wish we could help it somehow!"

Milo shrugged, "Well, I suppose you could catch it…"

At that, Kara's eyes lit up with excitement and determination.

"Milo", she demanded, "I know you've got some extra Pokéballs, loan me one so I can catch that Beautifly!"

Her tone was by no means rude, but the fire behind her normally calm blue eyes told Milo he had better comply, which he did.

"Verdante", called the young Performer, "help me out, we're going to catch that Beautifly! Grass Whistle!"

The Leafeon began to sing a soothing melody that got the attention of the loner Butterfly Pokémon. Cautiously, it fluttered down towards the unfamiliar sound.

"Okay, Verdante, now try a Charm", said Kara nervously. She'd never caught a wild Pokémon on her own before, and she didn't want to do it by force, if at all possible.

It seemed to be working, as Verdante's Charm was enough to lure the curious Bug type in closer. Here, however, was where Kara ran out of ideas. She faltered, and looked back at Milo, mouthing 'what should I do?'

He responded with a throwing motion, and pointed at her hand, the hand that held the empty ball. Taking a deep breath, Kara tossed the ball and crossed her fingers…

Miraculously, despite the fact that she had neglected to weaken or impair the Pokémon in the slightest, Kara's throw hit and captured the Beautifly almost immediately.

"Did it…it worked? It really worked? YES!"

The exuberant Performer immediately released her new companion and the Beautifly seemed most grateful to have been spared the humiliation of any further rejection by the rest of the flock. Milo consulted a guidebook he'd brought with him and found that the wing pattern and shape indicated that this was a female Beautifly. Kara wasted no time in naming her Madame.

Madame settled carefully on Kara's head as the group continued, and Milo couldn't help thinking that the Butterfly Pokémon made Kara look like some kind of otherworldly fairy princess. Kara's good mood lasted the whole way through Eterna Forest, making their passage much more pleasant than the irritable bickering mess that Milo and Amaya had become the last time through. When they reached the Floaroma edge, however, she started to hang back and look increasingly unsure of herself.

"Hey, Kara, you okay?" Milo was the first to notice her change in attitude.

"Yeah, I just…well, it's time to face my parents."

Amaya's brow furrowed as they came into view of Floaroma, "Won't they be impressed? I mean, you ran away to prove you could make it, and then you went and swept the Veilstone Showcases. So you proved it, case closed. Right?"

"I wish", sighed Kara, "but they probably won't see it that way."

"Hey", Milo's attention had been caught by the city in front of them, "what's with all the decorations?"

"Huh? Oh, wait, what's the date today?"

Kara checked her watch, and smiled, "That's right; the annual Petal Festival begins in a couple days! I almost forgot. Do you guys think we could stay for the festival? Pretty please?"

Amaya spoke first, "I'm cool with it. I'm _sure_ Milo doesn't mind…" she added acidly, a sly grin on her face.

The young man in question glared at her before answering, "Yeah, I'm down for a festival. Sounds cool."

So it happened that, as the trio strolled into town in the early evening, the sunlight played brilliantly off the floral arches that stretched across all the major streets. Every shop was decorated thoroughly with a carefully themed floral display, even the places that had nothing to do with flowers (not even the Pokémon Center was left untouched).

Milo had never even imagined so many flowers of so many different types.

"Wow", he said, with his typical eloquence and grace, "Floaroma really deserves its name."

"Keep Blaze contained", advised Amaya, "or somebody around here might have a heart attack on the spot."

They all shared a laugh, and before too long Kara pointed them down a side street to a particularly well-decorated flower shop. The red brick building was a small and quaint, with an apartment above the shop.

"That's your house?" Amaya stated the obvious, "That's…a _ton_ of flowers. How could anyone possibly keep track of all those?"

"Yeah", Kara agreed, "Dad tends to go crazy with the outside display around Festival time. Still, this is just the outside batch. There's a whole other display inside, plus the rest of the regular stock."

The young runaway stopped, and stared determinedly at the picturesquely green front door, framed with lilies on both sides.

"Alright, guys. I _will_ do this. I can totally do this."

Not waiting for a response, Kara set herself and marched down the cobblestone path, past row after row of exotically colored, beautifully arranged flowers.

 _Knock, knock_ , she tapped on the door and the whole group waited in tense silence.

"Yes?" Kara's mother answered, a middle-aged woman who had aged marvelously. Her bright face was framed by somewhat wild brown hair as she exclaimed, "Oh! Kara, dear, you're back! Olan, honey, come quick! Kara's come home!"

"Uh, hi Mom…"

Thundering footsteps preceded Kara's father, a friendly-looking and rather stocky man who rushed down the staircase as fast as he could to see his daughter standing nervously in the doorway.

"Kara…" he got no further before he and his wife sprang forward together and wrapped their daughter in a fierce family hug.

Milo and Amaya shuffled awkwardly out of the way, as Kara's mom whispered softly;

"Oh we were so scared, my baby girl…so scared…"

"I'm just…", Kara's dad was hardly able to choke out a sentence, "I'm just so…so glad you're safe."

"Well", Kara's voice was wobbly as she fought back tears, "I'm home now. Just in time for the Festival."

Recovering some of his composure, Kara's father beckoned the three young people inside, "Come in, all of you. I…guess we have introductions to make and a good bit to talk about, hmm?"

Luckily, Kara's parents hadn't eaten dinner yet, so they made some extra food and all five of them sat down to eat. One would have thought that conversation would run itself, with so much going on, but after the necessary introductions, nobody talked.

After more than a few awkward moments, Kara's father at last gave a heavy sigh and a small chuckle, and began;

"Kara, I know you think we're about to blow up and be angry with you, but…really, your mother and I are just overwhelmed. When we realized you'd gone…I can't tell you how scared we were."

Kara looked up at her father, her eyes brimming as he continued with some difficulty;

"I – I can't say I'm happy about what you did, but I will say it made both of us realize just how much you really wanted this career as a Performer. To be honest, we thought it was more of a phase, like when you wanted to be a reporter, or when you had your heart set on being a Trainer. Now, I think we all know this dream is real."

"I...thanks, daddy. I really was sorry about leaving, I didn't want to", Kara's voice was small and sincere, "but I thought it was the only way I could get a shot at what I really wanted to do. I – I won two Showcases in Veilstone."

Kara's mother reached across the table to take her hand, "I know, dear! We saw them both! You and your Pokémon were fantastic!"

The family fell to discussing and rehashing Kara's victories, while Milo and Amaya had a silent conversation across the end of the table that went something like;

 _Milo, this is so awkward._

 _I know, just keep eating._

 _Yeah…I guess._

Eventually, Kara's father realized they had all but forgotten their two guests and made polite conversation, though he clearly didn't know much about Training. As dinner was wrapping up, talk shifted to the young trio's plans going forward.

"So, Kara", began her mother, "I presume that you'd like to continue travelling with your new friends?"

"Y-yes, Mom! That would be awesome! If they're okay with it, that is…we haven't really planned beyond getting back here."

Milo nodded enthusiastically, and Amaya smirked, "I'd kind of assumed that was going to happen anyway."

"That, my young friends", laughed Kara's mother, "is how plans are made."

-o-

The Festival was two days after the group arrived in Floaroma. Amaya, predictably, spent most of her time at the practice field behind the Pokémon Center, one of the few places in town that was still open enough for her team to train. Milo did some training as well, but was quite interested in helping prepare Kara's family's float for the Petal Parade, the biggest part of the whole Festival.

The young Jubilife Trainer had always assumed that it was as simple as chopping some of each flower, throwing them all together on a truck, and calling it a float. He soon learned just how wrong he was. As a matter of fact, the thought first occurred to him sometime around the third discarded layout plan for the float;

 _You know_ , he told himself, _this is a whole lot more complicated than I'd have guessed._

He again realized his woeful ignorance after the fourth consecutive hour of carefully giving each flower a specifically measured amount of its own specific mineral solution. He was both relieved and proud when, the morning of the parade, they at last finished setting each of the small flower pots in the perfect spot on the float truck. He stepped back to admire the huge task they'd just finished.

Their float had a canopy that was the top of an arch (the sides were left open for visibility). The outside was lined on all four sides with flowers set up in diagonal color-coordinated stripes. Even the wheels each had a small and durable set of flowers fixed in the exact middle to rotate along as the float drove the parade route.

"Now _that_ ", said Kara's father, stepping back from this year's handiwork, "is a darn good parade float, if I do say so myself."

"You've outdone yourself, daddy", complimented the young florist-turned-Performer. Milo had learned over the last two days that Kara really did have a talent for her parents' trade, and probably could have rivalled even Gardenia in floral arrangement, but for her Showcase dreams.

"Why thank you. Wait until we get the Roselias dancing and throwing petals around the edges, not to mention our centerpiece of course!"

The centerpiece, in the bed of the truck, was the three youngsters. It had taken some convincing to get Amaya to agree to their plan, but Milo hoped it would be a fun experience for them all. Once Kara had divulged her friends' success and growing reputation as Trainers, her father had set upon the idea of featuring, in his words, "three of Sinnoh's brightest young blossoms" in his very own Petal Festival float.

At last, it was time for the parade to begin in earnest.

Their float was directly behind one of Kara's family's rival florists, and the expressions on the float in front of them paled when their masterpiece rolled up to take its place in line, with Milo, Kara, and Amaya front and center.

This year, as it happened, Gardenia was the MC for the parade, though she could only be present for the official opening due to her Gym duties back home, and before too long her familiar voice called down the line;

"Floaroma citizens, visitors from Sinnoh, and around the world! I give you the beauty and splendor of this year's annual world-famous Floaroma Petal Festival Grand Parade!"

Milo had been to his share of parades growing up, but this…this was a whole new level of pomp and circumstance. The parade route was miles long, and he, Amaya, and Kara got massive cheers every inch of the way. They had brought candy and thousands of small flowers to throw to the people lining both sides of every street, and their Pokémon drew huge attention as well. Azura, Verdante, and Terrus were out with their Trainers on the float, and the crowd loved them.

Even Amaya was – eventually – taken up in the joy of the moment, waving and smiling to the packed-in thousands that screamed and cheered. The people loved the whole parade, of course, but the unexpected appearance of the year's best Rookie Trainers, and the local star fresh from her breakout in the Amateur Performance circuit, brought ecstatic screaming like nothing else.

When the parade ended, Amaya once again absconded to the training field ("I'm still learning how to adjust my style to work with Spirielle, I can't take a break for a flower festival"), leaving Milo and Kara to wander about the Festival proper.

After the fifth person greeted Kara on a first-name basis, Milo couldn't help asking;

"Do you know every single human being in Floaroma?"

She laughed and answered, "Well, most of them. It's not a huge city, after all. Oh, hi Mrs. Douly!"

Mrs. Douly was yet another florist, a kindly old woman with a small booth just off the city's main square.

"Kara, my dear! Goodness, how you've sprouted! I must say, you made a grand entrance in the parade this morning. Who's your young man, here?"

Milo's brow furrowed at the phrase 'your young man', but Kara took ahold of his arm before he could step away and answered,

"This is my new friend Milo. He's a Trainer; he's already earned three badges and won a tournament!"

"My, my", chuckled the old florist, "what the successful young couple you are. Well, don't let an old flower peddler like me keep you any longer. Go on, you two, enjoy the Festival!"

"Bye, Mrs. Douly!"

Milo waved halfheartedly as Kara pulled him by the arm off towards some new booth, almost certainly run by some other family friend of hers.

 **Amaya**

Sure, the parade had been fun, once Amaya had warmed up to it. Being recognized always felt good. But she couldn't get distracted. With Milo off gallivanting about the Festival with Kara, now was Amaya's chance to push her team even harder. How else would she catch up to Milo's battling ability? She'd beaten him in practice matches, one-on-ones and two-on-twos and such, but she had yet to take him down in a real, competitive match.

"Alright, again", she called to her new Ghost type, "show me three Shadow Ball attacks."

Obediently, Spirielle the Gastly fired off a Shadow Ball from one end of the field, re-materialized on the opposite side, dodged her own attack, fired off a stronger one in return, then switched sides once more, dodged the second Shadow Ball, and loosed a third. For good measure, she shot a Sludge Bomb that hit the last Shadow Ball and cancelled it out magnificently.

"Nice! I can see the power increasing on those, and that was one hell of an accurate Sludge Bomb. We'll keep going after lunch, alright? I'm starving."

Feeling better about her progress with her newest team member, Amaya returned the Ghost and went back towards the Festival to find something to eat. She gladly stopped three times on the way to sign autographs, thinking to herself;

 _I could really get used to this. People actually know who I am, and respect what I can do._

She found a corner seat by herself in a quaint deli on Floaroma's brightly colored main plaza, and as she munched on her sandwich, she spotted Kara and Milo booth hopping.

She smirked as the pair of them stopped at a booth that sold flower-infused jewelry, a Floaroma specialty.

 _Dang, Milo_ , she thought, _how can you be totally confident in a battle, but so, SO awkward the minute a hot girl wants to be around you?_

There was no beating around the bush, as far as Amaya was concerned. She was by no means jealous, but she'd spent most of her school years surrounded by the 'pretty girls' and 'popular girls' (mostly because they respected her strength), and she knew that most of them would absolutely _kill_ to have looks like Kara had.

 _Heck,_ Amaya chuckled to herself, _if Performing doesn't work out, she could make it as a swimsuit model any day of the week._

Sure, the thought wasn't exactly super 'correct' or 'polite', but Amaya didn't much care. It was the truth, plain and simple.

 _Milo knows it, too_ , Amaya told herself, _but he'll never admit it. Not on his own anyway. Maybe it's time for Amaya the wingman to step in…_

As she finished her sandwich and paid, she watched with amusement as Milo bought one of the flower necklaces for Kara and placed it delicately on her.

 _Wow_ , noticed the Twinleaf girl, _she's really good at that deep stare. Milo's face is redder than any of these roses. He must be blind if he can't read the signals here. Then again, it is Milo…_

Still smirking, her head whirling with devious plans for her two friends, Amaya left her corner restaurant and made her way back to the Pokémon Center, where she had Spirielle resume training, this time with Leon's assistance.

"Okay, Leon, show me that Night Slash! Spirielle, I want you to…"

 **Milo**

After a whirlwind of a day, the Festival came to a close sometime after dinner. He'd thought that perhaps things would wrap up around dusk, but no, the good people of Floaroma had simply turned on every possible lamp and kept right on going.

"Well", smiled Kara's father when they finally got back to the house, "if it isn't the talk of the Festival. You two have the entire town gossiping, if I understand correctly."

"Eheh…" Milo wasn't sure what to make of this, "It seems like we visited the entire town today with all the booths and shops we hit…"

Kara, unfazed, launched into the day's events, "Daddy, this year was one of the best Petal Festivals I've ever been to! Did you see the O'Hares? Their whole front display was foreign seeds grown right here in town! I had no idea Johtoan azaleas could even survive in Sinnoh!"

"I'd heard", answered her father, flexing his expertise, "it reminded me of what we did four years back. Still, everyone I talked to couldn't stop raving about our float. I've said for years now that the Festival has been more and more about shock and awe, so this year we pulled out all the stops, and I do believe we won the parade. You three were the stars!"

After spending all day looking at every type of flower imaginable, even Milo was able to join in on the conversation in bits and pieces. Still, he quickly exhausted his limited knowledge of the flower industry and fell to talking with Amaya about her day's training.

"Spirielle's coming along brilliantly. I think I want to use her against Wake. If I don't, she won't get a Gym battle until Byron in Canalave, because I'd be an idiot to use her against Marcus."

"Makes sense", Milo nodded, "Wake's a tough nut to crack. He has _so_ much experience. Still, I think I'll throw Drake in, and maybe Blaze. Risky, but as long as I play it right, they'll be fine."

Amaya snorted, "Typical Milo. Throw in two Pokémon with direct weaknesses, but 'if you play it right', you'll still show Wake up somehow. I should be used to it. Say, Milo?"

"Huh?"

"I saw you and Kara at that jewelry booth this afternoon."

The Jubilife Trainer's cool demeanor immediately faltered, "Y-you what? Uh, what about it?"

"It would seem you and I need to talk about Kara sometime soon."

 **Author's Notes:**

 **These will be much longer than I'm used to; please stay with me, I'll try to be concise.**

 **General Business Items: Seems like this story has a rather small, and/or quiet readership. I'm not complaining, I won't sit here and whine or blackmail you into reviewing or anything, but I'll just put this out there, for the record: If nobody offers me opinions or advice, or asks questions, I can't improve the story, and I don't get to explain myself or my writing.**

 **If I'm doing something poorly, I can't fix it if you don't tell me to. If I'm doing something well, I can't emphasize it if nobody says so. If you have a question about anything,** _ **anything at all**_ **, ask and I will answer you as best I can.**

 **Again, if you'd really rather just read and not say much, that's fine too, I totally understand, no pressure.**

 **Finally, if anyone has advice on increasing readership, I'm all ears. I'd love for more people to experience this story along with me and you (as cliché as that may sound).**

 **This Chapter: Dear Lord, writing romance for me is like pulling teeth; that's why this took a while. It's all there in my head, but gah! Writing it out without being 500% cheese-fest stereotypical gag-worthy is surprisingly hard! So, how do you think I did? Did Milo and Kara make you want to puke, or say 'aawww'? Thoughts are appreciated!**

 **Disclaimers and the Usual Stuff: Ark Monty came from LunarKnightArchangel (many thanks, my friend, Ark is a wonderfully useful character), and the other OC's are mine (all mine, mwahaha!), but I don't own Pokémon (duh). If you like this story, consider following/favoriting to keep track of it (and me). That way, more people might find it and enjoy it, too!**

 **I really, seriously appreciate your reading my work, and I hope you enjoy it. Cheers, all! You'll hear from me as soon as I can scribble out another chapter!**


	15. Chapter 15 - Unexpected Visitors

Chapter 15 – Unexpected Visitors

"Okay, now control it…control – AAH!"

Kara tried to back off too fast, and fell flat on her back for about the tenth time that day onto the training mat in a side room of the Hearthome Gym. Their group had reached Hearthome after a few days' journey from Floaroma back up through Eterna and then southeast underneath the Bike Route to Hearthome.

"Still giving you problems, huh?"

Amaya was leaning against the wall observing as Kara attempted to help her team prepare for their next Showcase. Truth be told, Amaya was present with Coral as a means of emergency protection; Kara's newest team member was rather volatile and had trouble using its power as a form of art.

"Yeah…"

 **Flashback: Route 206**

"Okay, Milo", Amaya was dead serious. She'd pulled him off away from their camp as evening light faded to dusk. He knew what was coming, and he was obviously not thrilled about it.

"Amaya, can we just-"

"No we can't. Now shut up and listen. You need to ask Kara out. You need to do it soon."

"Why – what – come on", Milo's face skipped blushing and went straight to a violent shade of red, "seriously, 'Maya, can you just drop this? Let me handle this myself, alright?"

He put his head in his hands, and the Twinleaf Trainer planted hers firmly on her hips as she replied bullishly;

"Absolutely not. I tried to let you handle it, and you've done a sucky job, so I'm stepping in. Look, you like her – Milo", she cut him off as he opened his mouth to protest, "I swear, don't you _dare_ try to deny it – you like her, and you're blind as a Zubat if you can't see that she likes you too."

"Okay, fine! What the heck do you want me to do, admit it? Yes, I like Kara! There, I said it! Happy?"

"Don't be stupid. I don't care if you admit it, it's a fact. I need you to do something about it."

"Oh, come _on_! I'm not some naïve, lovesick 12 year-old! I don't need a…a romance coach, or whatever it is you're doing here!"

Amaya crossed her arms, raised an eyebrow, and gave Milo a look that could be loosely interpreted as 'We both know that's crap'.

"What? Don't look at me like that, 'Maya."

"Ask her out before we hit Pastoria."

"Before Pastoria? That's like…a week! A week at _most_! I need time if I'm going to do this right!"

"Don't be a whiny baby. You've had two not-dates already; you spied on Marcus and you chased each other around that Festival in Floaroma. Do it before Pastoria or I'll do this again. With both of you at the same time, if I must."

"Why do you care, anyway?"

"Because if I have to watch you two make googly eyes at one another for another month before you say something, I'm going to go insane."

With that stinging retort, Amaya whirled on her heel and began marching back towards camp. Milo soon came crashing through the woods after her;

"Hey! Hey, that's a terrible reason!"

They were twenty yards from camp now, and Milo dropped his voice to a low hiss, "And I don't make googly eyes at _anybody_!"

His feisty friend turned one last time and jabbed her finger in his face, whispering one word;

"Pastoria."

"Hey, guys, look!"

Kara was waving from the other side of camp…stroking the nose of a wild Ponyta.

"AH! Hey, careful, that's wild! Kara", Milo sprinted towards the Fire Horse, trying to shoo it away from their (very flammable) tents and food, "get that thing away from our stuff!"

"Milo, don't be silly", chided the Performer, pouting slightly, "Pyro's not dangerous, he's completely under control."

"Pyro? Who's…Kara, did – did you catch that Ponyta while we were gone?"

Amaya raised an eyebrow, rather impressed, as Kara proudly hugged the Fire type and proclaimed,

"Yes. Yes, I did. And he's very sweet. I think he'll get along great with all of us."

Milo put a hand over his face briefly and tried to explain his hesitation as kindly as he could;

"I'm sure Pyro is a really great Ponyta, but training any Fire type can be really dangerous. Fire is one of the hardest elements to keep in check. Besides, you _just_ caught Madame a few days ago."

"Hey, that's not fair! You got Blaze, like, a day after you started! He's a Fire type, too!"

"Yeah", Milo responded, "and he almost burned my jacket off immediately. He burned a hole in a carpet days after that! Fire is _super_ hard to control. Besides, literally every other Pokémon you own has a direct type weakness to Fire."

"I feel like I should get some popcorn and watch this play out", commented Amaya as she surreptitiously moved her things farther from Kara's new Fire Horse.

"If I'm going to be a great Performer, I have to be able to handle things like type differences within my team. I have to be diverse. Besides, Pyro is _so_ adorable, and he literally just walked up and wanted to be my friend! I can handle training a Fire type!"

Milo opened his mouth to offer yet another counterpoint, but something in Kara's stubborn glare made him stop.

"Well", Amaya stepped back in, "I for one am _overjoyed_ to have Pyro join our merry group."

Milo shot her one last glare before sighing and putting hot dogs on their campfire for dinner.

 **End Flashback**

Kara pushed herself up off the mat yet again. She'd assumed that she could comfortably fill out her team of 6 Pokémon with no real issues, but already Milo's warnings were looking more and more valid as Pyro couldn't seem to control his fire attacks. It was times like these that she wished she had Milo's ability to actually communicate fully with Pokémon. Still, she refused to admit defeat.

"Okay, Pyro. Umm, that was closer, I guess, but I _really_ need you to keep that Fire Spin contained, like we've been doing. You had it earlier…"

The Fire Horse whinnied in frustration. Evidently he was as frustrated as his Trainer. He wanted to succeed for her sake, but controlling his firepower was not in his nature.

"How goes it?" Marcus walked in to check on the youngsters. He had kindly offered up his Gym's guest rooms and practice space as a stopover for the trio on their way to Pastoria, and a refuge from the public eye. After all, he reasoned, they'd surely get _plenty_ of that once they reached Sinnoh's Jewel of the South.

"Same as last time", answered Amaya bluntly. Kara shot her a look and stuck out her tongue before drawing herself up haughtily and announcing to nobody in particular,

"I've decided it's time to take a break."

Meanwhile, Northeast of Hearthome, in Veilstone…

 **Damion Parr**

"Crap", he told himself. He picked up a small, broken piece of something and chucked it angrily out into the harbor. He was walking down the shady docks on the North edge of Veilstone City.

"Crap!"

He'd just lost to Maylene – again – and he was finding to his chagrin that being the best graduate of the year from the VPC wasn't enough.

Any other year, he'd have made every headline by now. He'd have swept every possible Rookie Challenge event and all of Sinnoh would know his name for having earned two badges. He'd be well clear of his humiliating background. But not this year. No, this year everyone was going gaga over that stuck-up prick, Milo, and Damion could hardly get a word in edgeways. It was unfair! He _deserved_ to be known! He _deserved_ to be respected! What had freaking Milo done to earn his reputation? Nothing! He'd been dealt a perfect hand and was reaping the rewards, nothing more!

"CRAP!"

Damion chunked another rock, watching it splash down into the murky water of the Veilstone Harbor. His Prinplup perked up at the noise, and he looked at it exhaustedly. After a couple seconds, it began entertaining itself as usual. He'd really thought that after all he'd yelled at it, the Water starter might have developed some kind of bad attitude to match his own. Instead, it merely complied with his instructions and was otherwise off in its own happy world, all but ignoring him outside of training and battle.

"Crap", his voice dropped again. He no longer had even the energy to be mad. He was just…tired. Done.

"Aww", started a sarcastically sympathetic voice, "is the poor young Trainer feeling bad about losing his little battle…?"

He was only mildly surprised, but looked up to see who was intruding on his alone time.

"Oh", he was not impressed by the newcomer, "it's you again. Look, what do you want? I'm not in a people mood."

"Oh, but we _are_ in a people mood, my dear Damion."

Annie slipped easily off the top of an empty storage container and sidled up to the young man, swishing her hips as she walked in a consciously alluring manner. She casually laid an arm around his shoulder and leaned against the depressed Trainer.

After a moment's hesitation, Damion tried to push away from the luscious Team Rocket Hunter, but was stopped by another person on his other side. Oakley had come up while he was preoccupied trying not to stare at Annie, and draped herself teasingly on his other side. The beautiful pair of Rockets would not be denied. They held him firmly in place as Annie kept talking smoothly,

"It's been a while since we've met up, Damion, and we'd come to miss you _so much_. Haven't you been thinking about us?"

He knew what they wanted. He'd been warding them off since his semifinal appearance in the Hearthome Rookie tournament, but they kept finding him.

"Look, I told you, I'm not interested, got it? Can't you just leave me alone? Go bother someone worth bothering."

"Oh, but Damion", Oakley answered, placing her free hand on the young man's chest consolingly, "We think you're worth every possible effort. We find you so fascinating. Won't you at least hear us out? We could help you become _great_."

Damion growled to himself. He would give anything to be famous, to be well-known and admired, but something about the sickly sweet Rockets gave him a gut feeling that said this wasn't the way to go about it. He, like everyone else, had heard more than enough about Team Rocket to know what their true motives were, and the kind of things they were capable of.

"I'll make my own greatness, thanks. I'm not joining you."

"Ah, the idealism of the young", Annie's silvery chuckle was devoid of any real humor, "remember what that was like, Oakley?"

"Of course, Annie", her partner smirked, still staring at Damion as if he were a particularly juicy steak, "so full of unfulfilled promises. Empty hopes and dead-end dreams as far as the eye could see. All bark and no bite."

With some difficulty (the two women were unexpectedly strong), Damion forced himself free and glared at them;

"Enough! It's bad enough you've been stalking me since Hearthome, now you want to get me to join you by crapping on everything I want to be? Your recruitment strategy _sucks_!"

He turned to run away, but Annie called after him;

"At least Team Rocket would be more of a home than _you've_ ever had!"

Damion froze in place. They couldn't know. There was no way. How could they possibly…? As if to answer his mental question, Annie's Espeon padded silently out from behind a corner, staring unblinkingly at him.

"Honestly, Damion", Annie knew she had him, she had only to tighten the screws, "how much longer will you call a trashy apartment, a drunk dad, and a brother who can't stay out of juvie a _home_? What ridiculous kind of dream can ever come from _that_? Come with us."

"Stay…", his voice was trembling, "stay out of my HEAD!"

His Prinplup finally noticed that something was wrong with its Trainer and waddled over to investigate the Espeon, wondering whether it was friend or foe.

"A-attack it, Prinplup! _Please_! Get it out of my mind!"

Prinplup cocked its head and then shrugged and launched a Bubblebeam at the Psychic type. Espeon was more than fast enough to dodge, but its concentration on Damion was broken. Annie frowned, and asked forcefully;

"What do you have that's worth resisting us over anyway? To hell with your stupid ambitions of making it on your own; you aren't even the best Rookie, let alone anything special as a Trainer in general. I'm offering you a clean slate, an easy road straight to the top. You couldn't ask for a better deal!"

"Shut up!" Damion yelled back, "Don't think I'm like you! I'm _nothing_ like you criminals!"

Oakley laughed cruelly, "Really? Is that why _you_ hired _us_ to poach a Riolu egg for you? Is that why you scream at your Pokémon every time you train and fight? Please, Damion, you're no better than us. Give up and join up; quit wasting all our time."

"P-Prinplup, return", murmured the thoroughly unnerved Damion. What most disturbed him was the solid reason behind Oakley's words. He had done those things. But…

 _That's…different_ , he told himself, _I can't exactly articulate how, but I know I'm not like them._

"I HATE YOU! LEAVE ME THE HELL ALONE!" He screamed, and sprinted off down the dark, narrow corridors between the grungy storage containers of Veilstone's Northtown Harbor.

He ran until he'd spent the energy born of fear and rage at the Rockets. Then he stopped breathing heavily, and leaned against yet another unrecognizably rusty container, close to the edge of the Docks District. Sullenly, he released Prinplup.

"…Thanks", he muttered to the Penguin Pokémon, "That Bubblebeam still sucked…but at least you got that freaking witch out of my head."

Prinplup looked at his Trainer in surprise. He'd come to expect a barrage of insults every time he was released, but gratitude was a new one on him.

"What?" Damion growled at the smile on his starter's face, "Don't think I'm going soft, you watery dolt. We're back at it tomorrow. You'll work as much as it takes to get us through that damn Lucario and get at least one more badge. Someone has to be strong enough to carry this team. Come on."

Heedless of his Trainer's return to his usual grumpy demeanor, Prinplup walked merrily along beside Damion, who was slouched angrily forward, hands stuffed firmly in the pockets of his now-worn leather jacket.

"Eh…I don't know why you're so damn cheerful all the time", Damion remarked to his Water type almost without thinking, "Got your own little world, huh? I guess that's the difference between you and me. You choose to live in your own world; I just got forced out of everyone else's."

Prinplup made no response. He understood his Trainer better than he was given credit for. The boy had made mistakes, but the Penguin Pokémon stuck with him loyally. The rest of Damion's team found their Trainer almost impossible to work with, but the young man and his starter were, at last, beginning to grow on one another.

 **Milo**

He muttered angrily to himself as he picked through the underbrush. They'd left Hearthome that morning and had decided to take their time getting through Route 212, which was known for being long and arduous if one was unprepared.

He was frustrated because Amaya had pulled him aside again just before they left, to remind him of his 'deadline' on asking Kara out. He'd been rather grumpy all day, mostly due to nerves, but he just about had a plan.

Currently, it was evening, just north of where the route turned east, and he'd been unceremoniously sent out looking for firewood by the two girls, while they set up the tents.

"That's so dumb", he grumbled, "like, 'Oh, Milo, we couldn't _possibly_ get firewood ourselves', yeah right. Whatever."

He released Drake, just to keep him company on his lonely quest for firewood, and grinned as his Gabite flexed his wings and cracked his neck.

 _Ahh, that feels good. 'Sup, Milo? Firewood duty?_

"Yup", answered the Trainer nonchalantly, "snice the girls couldn't be bothered to do it."

The Dragon snorted, spearing a good-sized branch with a claw as he responded, _Eh, their loss. We get an evening walk in the woods and they don't._

"Hmm. Hadn't thought of that", Milo gave his Pokémon an appreciative bump on the shoulder, "thanks, pal."

 _Sure, add it to my never-ending list of wise sayings._

Milo chuckled. He always enjoyed talking to Drake. He'd come to appreciate each of his team members' personality, but he was finding that Drake's most closely mirrored his own. In battle, the Big Jaw Pokémon was the most level-headed, wily opponent to be found, the last one to be intimidated. With his evolution, he was rapidly catching up to Blaze and Azura in terms of raw power and ability, and was rock-solid reliable in any situation.

Like his Trainer, Drake had a propensity to be a bit of a wise-cracker, so they got along perfectly well. Talking to Drake made Milo feel comfortable, and the Gabite never failed to cheer him up. Still, Drake was a lot more intense than Milo once he got really invested in a battle. Milo knew a good bit about keeping laser focused in tough spots, but Drake took it to a whole different level. He could be casual enough in a battle with no consequences, but as soon as he sensed a truly worthy challenge, he would give literally every inch of effort, would hold absolutely zero back to ensure complete victory. It was useful when Milo needed to ramp up the intensity; Drake could really tighten the screws and force pressure mistakes out of anybody.

Currently, however, the Dragon was perfectly content to whimsically spear bits of wood off the ground. Or so Milo thought.

 _Don't do anything, don't react, but we're being followed. More specifically, you're being followed._

Milo stiffened, but quickly forced himself to relax as if nothing had changed.

 _Me specifically? What's that about? Who and where?_

 _Small Pokémon, wild, about ten meters behind and to your right. What's the plan?_

A small Pokémon probably was just curious more than anything else…but Milo knew better than to take any risks out in the open, especially this far from any city with the evening light beginning to fade as the shadows around them subtly started to grow.

 _No ambush,_ instructed the Trainer, _I'll turn around and call it out gently. You stay put unless something goes wrong. It'll probably run away anyway._

Slowly, very slowly, Milo turned around in place.

"…Hello?"

His ears pricked as he heard a small scuttle. His eyes snapped to the source, and he caught a glimpse of a small something disappearing clumsily behind one of the many trees around them.

"Hey, little thing…You behind the tree…I know you're following me, want to come out? I won't hurt you."

He and Drake watched the tree like a pair of Staraptor, and at last a small, green head poked out, preceded by a little red horn.

"…Ralts?"

Milo relaxed visibly; Ralts weren't exactly common in the wild, but not unheard of. They were almost totally harmless, as their Psychic powers were relatively underdeveloped.

"Oh. Hey there, little fella. You had me worried for a bit. Run along now, shoo!"

He took a step towards the little Feeling Pokémon, expecting it to flee into the woods. Instead, to his curiosity, it took a step forwards to stare up into his eyes, as if in a trance.

 _Drake? Little help? Why isn't it running?_

 _What, you can't tell?_

 _You mean you can? Care to share?_

The Gabite snickered to himself, _Ralts tend to project their emotions to other Pokémon. This one is nervous, but it really wants to be around you for some reason._

"Me?" Milo was surprised enough to speak aloud, "What the heck does a wild Ralts want with _me_?"

 _Catch it and find out?_

Milo shook his head in aggravation, "Nah, I don't really feel like it. I've got nothing against this thing, but it needs to stop following me."

 _Let me handle this._

With that, Drake stepped up to it, and began to growl softly. The little half-Fairy whimpered softly, looked quickly between Milo and Drake, and then backed off in a hurry, fading into the trees.

"Thanks, pal. I bet we've got enough firewood here. Let's head back and let Blaze work his magic."

Trainer and partner tromped back the way they'd come, both bearing reasonable bundles of wood. They found, upon their return, that the girls had gotten their own fire going.

"…What is that?"

Amaya looked up impassively, "It's a campfire, what else?"

"Why was I out gathering wood for half an hour if you were just going to get one going without me?"

"You took too long."

Milo took a breath, trying (and failing) to calm himself down.

"Geez, 'Maya. First you act all 'oh, you have to get firewood because we can't' and now I do all that work and you _already have a fire_? Do you not get how that's frustrating?"

"Chill, Milo. It's a fire. If you're going to whine about that, I'll let you do the cooking."

"Bah, you cook your own food."

In a huff, Milo returned his team and marched back off on his own. He needed a walk to cool his head. Only Amaya could wind him up like this. She was a great, loyal friend, but she could be absolutely infuriating at times.

He heard footsteps as he left, but he didn't bother looking back until a hand caught his shoulder and Kara's voice came from behind;

"Milo, wait! It's okay, she didn't mean anyth-"

"I know, Kara, I'm fine. I just need a walk. I'll be back soon."

"Oh. Umm, can I come?"

Milo turned to look at her and asked rather obliviously, "Why would you want to come?"

Kara stared intently at the ground and brushed her hair over one ear as she mumbled, "Well, uh, because…I like walks with y – I mean, I like walks too?"

Milo looked at his new friend for a couple seconds, confused, and then shrugged and said, "If you want, I guess."

The pair walked in silence. Milo was still steaming about Amaya's inconsiderate behavior, and Kara couldn't figure out what to say first. Soon, Milo stopped short, and Kara waited patiently for him to say something. Instead, he frowned and walked back towards a tree five meters behind them.

"Milo? What's up?"

"I heard something", replied the Jubilife Trainer shortly, "I think it's a Ralts that's been following me."

Suddenly there was a scuffle, and the aforementioned Ralts jumped out and dashed behind Kara, clinging to her leg as if desperate.

"Hey there, little thing", Milo greeted it with an exasperated tone.

"Still tailing me, huh? Kara, why is it hiding behind you?"

"Oh, this little cutie!"

Kara smiled, and leaned down to pet the wild Psychic type, "She came by our camp earlier. I gave her a snack and we were friends. I figured she just left to go back to wherever she lives, but I guess she…"

Kara stopped talking quite abruptly, and her cheeks flushed. She knew as well as anyone else in Sinnoh that members of the Ralts line were famous for imprinting and echoing the emotions of the humans they became attached to. Milo picked up on her hesitation, and finished her thought;

"You think she imprinted on you? Well, that's…umm…"

Now both young people were furiously nervous and awkward. Milo's heart rate shot up. A Ralts that was echoing Kara's emotions was oddly entranced by him. The implication was painfully clear. He heard a click and looked up to see Kara, red-faced and shaky, toss a Pokéball at the Feeling Pokémon.

"Wait, Kara…!"

But the deed was done. The ball did its job flawlessly, and Kara picked it up, dusted herself off briskly and tried to keep walking as if nothing had happened.

"Come on, Milo, weren't we walking?"

"Kara…what did you just do? You realize you've literally caught three Pokémon in the last week?"

"Umm, yeah…so what?"

Milo smacked his face and tried to explain. This was doing nothing to decrease his feeling of frustration from earlier.

"Kara, usually you do some training with new team members before catching more. You get to know them. You've barely done anything with Madame since you got her in Eterna Forest, and you've had exactly one training session with Pyro. Don't you think you're moving too quickly here?"

"I…I know that" Kara's voice was small, and her gaze was down. Milo immediately regretted voicing his criticisms, "I know I'm not very good at managing my team. I really hope that doesn't make me a bad Performer. Still, there's nothing I can do about it now, it's already done. Can we just…move on?"

"What do you…yeah. I guess we just move on, now. If you want help training your new Pokémon, you know I'll gladly give you a hand."

He really did mean what he said, but his voice still sounded skeptical and a bit disapproving. Feeling powerless against his own moody emotions, he kicked out at a branch on the path. Kara was still walking next to him, but was a few steps removed, her hands clasped nervously in front of her.

 _Great, just great_ , thought Milo, _now I've made her sad, and I'm still supposed to ask her out before Pastoria or Amaya's going to do something completely ridiculous. Geez, Milo, you idiot!_

WHAM!

Milo was sent flying backwards by whatever had just smashed into his chest.

" _AHAHAHAAA!_ "

The eerie laugh resounded maniacally from everywhere and from nowhere, all around them. Milo's conscious brain shut off as pure instinct took over, adrenaline shooting through his veins like a white-hot fire.

"EVERYONE OUT, NOW!"

Milo jumped to his feet and stood in front of Kara, hands outstretched like a human shield, as five flashes shot out of his belt. His reaction came not a moment too soon, as two Haunter and a Dusknoir showed themselves in ambush formation around the small party. Directly in front of Milo appeared a face that immediately made his face blanche.

"Oh crap", he whispered, forcing himself to acknowledge it, "that's one of the Primal…"

" _Ah, the child who thinks himself a force to be reckoned with_ ", rasped the familiar voice, " _I will snuff you like a candle, you insolent whelp. Destroy them all!_ "

"Shield", Milo screamed frantically at his team, "then counter!"

The ghosts spared no time launching their assault. Two Confuse Rays and a Shadow Punch came flying in. Milo's heart swelled in momentary pride as Aurora leaped fiercely in front of the Dusknoir and set a Protect to take the brunt of the attack off her teammates. Still, despite her immunity to the move's type, the Gripper Pokémon's impact on her shield sent the brave Eevee flying.

Azura dashed off to make sure her adopted younger sister wasn't gravely injured, and Ferra leapt in after the Shadow Punch to land a Crunch on the briefly vulnerable Dusknoir.

Meanwhile, Blaze and Drake had deftly sidestepped the Confuse Rays from the two Haunter. Drake responded with a Mud Shot to his opponent's face, while Blaze used a clever Double Team to lead his adversary away from the fighting, to minimize the risk of collateral damage before he unleashed his fiery arsenal.

Even Milo himself was hard-pressed from the instant the battle begun. He kept himself firmly planted between the advancing Primal and the completely petrified Kara. The mysterious ghostly human launched more and more of the man-made Shadow Ball attacks that had caught Milo off guard in the first place, but Milo was able to counter with Dark Aura Spheres while also doing what little he could to help Ferra.

The marvelous Riolu was doing everything she could, but was hopelessly outgunned against the massive and ruthless Dusknoir. Seeing that his team was not faring well, Milo gritted his teeth and yelled over his shoulder,

"Kara, RUN! Get back to camp, take Amaya, and RUN!"

"I…I…you need-"

"GO NOW!"

As he focused all his energy on repelling the Primal's offensive, he felt Kara leave, or so he thought.

All of a sudden, several things happened, almost at once.

Kara, who had intended to obey Milo's desperate order, hesitated. Several steps away from him, she turned back, her eyes wide in horror as she watched Milo being overwhelmed.

In the same instant, Dusknoir let loose a devastating Shadow Punch that sent Ferra flying like a rag doll in the wind. Its ethereal master, still barraging Milo with attacks of his own, hissed at his servant,

" _Attack, my glorious Dusknoir! Show your might!_ "

Dusknoir opened wide with its stomach, preparing the most potent Ghost-type attack it could possibly muster. Milo braced himself, and time seemed to stop as the monster fired its attack, which could only be described as a Shadow Ball on steroids.

For one instant, Milo breathed a sigh of relief as the attack was aimed well wide of him. Then a bloodcurdling scream came from off to his right and he knew. The attack was aimed for Kara, who was rooted to the spot in unthinkable terror.

In the next microsecond, his actions driven by pure adrenaline, Milo turned and galvanized his body into motion. He took one step towards the path of the attack, watching as it hurtled towards the helpless Performer.

Another step. The hyper-Shadow Ball was flying ever closer to Kara at an uncomfortable pace…

One more step. Tunnel vision kicked in, and Milo could see only his goal. He knew what he had to do.

With no time to generate any kind of defense or counter, he jumped. Milo flung himself, fully horizontal, into the path of the blast.

"NOOO!"

He felt the blast vaguely. He could feel himself flying through the air, until his back hit something unyielding. A rock? A tree? He couldn't see very well…he couldn't see at all…There was some kind of commotion going on nearby. What was that about? Was there a fight?

"Milo", said a muffled voice close to his face, "Milo, please, please wake up, you have to! Milo! Milo, I love you, please wake up!"

Somebody loved him? How nice… Was that Kara? It sounded like her…how convenient…

"Kara…" he mumbled.

"Yes, I'm here, Milo, stay with me, just stay awake, okay? Please, Milo, just stay awake. We'll get you to a hospital in Pastoria, I promise you'll make it, just please, _please_ stay with me, Milo!"

"No", he was very concerned, "no Pastoria. Have to ask out Kara first. 'Maya made me. Have a plan…"

He tried to finish his thought, but it was getting hard to think. His entire brain felt like a thought on the tip of his tongue, just out of reach…

Finally, he couldn't resist any longer. He let himself slip fully into darkness.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **To those who reviewed after last chapter, THANK YOU THANK YOU! You know who you are, and I read over each of your suggestions carefully and repeatedly. Many of your comments and criticisms have been addressed in this very chapter. I encourage all who read to review so that I know how to improve the story!**

 **This Chapter: After reading the advice of my kind readers, I have attempted to give Damion a bit more development, and a reason not to hate him. We also have more of my best attempt at balanced, non-cheesy romantic development, and of course more battling. Some people told me the Pokémon characters are coming in too fast and aren't fleshed out, and this chapter doesn't help that. I'm sorry! That's just how my plot plan worked out! For reference, if you're confused, here are our three heroes' teams as they stand currently:**

 **Milo: Azura (Umbreon), Blaze (Monferno), Ferra (Riolu), Aurora (Eevee), Drake (Gabite)**

 **Amaya: Coral (Milotic), Terrus (Grotle), Granite (Onix), Leon (Luxio), Spirielle (Gastly)**

 **Kara: Verdante (Leafeon), Zexon (Scizor), Frosty (Froslass), Madame (Beautifly), Pyro (Ponyta), unnamed Ralts**

 **General Notes: There are many twists and turns approaching, so if you would like to offer advice or support, then by all means follow, favorite, review, or just nod approvingly and move on with your day. I'll know. It'd be great to get your help in drawing more people to this story! I don't own Pokémon, just my characters. On the real, I super appreciate you reading this, my humble thanks. Ciao, good people! Remember, as Albus Dumbledore once said, 'Nitwit, blubber, oddment, tweak'!**


	16. Chapter 16 - The Churning Tides

Milo Chapter 16 – The Churning Tides

 **Amaya**

 _Ding!_

Amaya looked up as she heard the bell vaguely through the music blaring in her headphones. She'd been slouched against the seat of the train, staring blankly out the window without really seeing anything that passed by, lost in thought as she processed the events of the last few days.

 _Time to focus_ , she gave her head a shake, _this is for Milo._

The train slowed as it pulled into the Sunnyshore station, and Amaya silently grabbed her bag and stood. It had been Jenks' idea for her to make the trip for the next leg of the Rookie Challenge, though it would be her first time travelling anywhere without Milo. She'd taken some convincing, not wanting to leave Pastoria until they knew for sure whether he'd pull through, but Jenks had reasoned with her that Milo would want her to go, and that she could try that much harder in honor of him. That had gotten through to her, and now here she was, stepping off the train in the aptly named Sunnyshore City, shading her eyes with one hand to look nervously about the train station for the people who were supposed to pick her up.

She didn't have to look for long. Even without the picture clutched anxiously in her right hand, she could've picked out Milo's family from a mile away; the resemblance was uncanny, even for immediate family members. Three people walked briskly up to meet her, the wife waving exuberantly while the husband flashed a calm, collected smile, leading their youngest child with a hand on her shoulder. As the other passengers pushed hurriedly past her to be about their business, Amaya made her way carefully towards them.

They met in the middle, and Amaya awkwardly proffered a hand,

"Umm, I guess you're Milo's family? I'm Amaya. Thanks for coming to get me."

The husband reached out and firmly shook her hand, introducing his family, "It's great to finally meet you in person, Amaya. I'm Alexander, this is my wife Zoe, and our youngest, Myrian."

Amaya made to respond, but someone around them whispered quite exaggeratedly;

"Holy cow, that's that Rookie girl! The one with the Milotic! Amaya, right?"

Within seconds, whispers, blatant stares, and forests of pointed fingers, spread through the train station like wildfire. Alexander gestured calmly to the exit nearest them;

"Why don't we talk more at the house, where we won't cause a spectacle, hmm?"

"Yeah, sounds good", Amaya usually didn't care about that type of thing, but in a strange city, with no landmarks or familiarity with her surroundings, she felt cornered by the sudden attention.

As they walked to the family's house, the young Myrian grabbed Amaya's hand merrily;

"You're Milo's friend?"

"Yeah", Amaya answered as sweetly as she could, "I know both of your big brothers."

Myrian stopped skipping and looked rather somberly up at the older girl, "Is…Milo gonna be alright? Did he wake up yet?"

 _Oh, geez_ , Amaya gulped, _how do I answer that question to his 5-year-old sister?_

"Uh, no, he's not awake yet, but…I hope he'll be okay eventually."

"…Oh."

She withdrew her hand slowly from Amaya's, and the Twinleaf native was terrified that she'd somehow said something wrong. The young girl's shoulders started to shudder, and her hands covered her face. She was sobbing quietly, and all Amaya could do was stutter, "No, I – please don't – it's okay…uh, I'm sorry? Don't cry…"

"It's not your fault", said Milo's mother kindly from behind the two girls, "it's been hard over the last few days, not being there, waiting to hear second or third hand news. She's taken it rather harshly. I think we're all just a bit frightened. Come here, my angel, it's all going to be fine. Milo will wake up soon. Shh, there now..."

She picked her daughter up and carried her for the remainder of the walk to the family's house. It was odd for Amaya to find that the house was actually quite small and modest. Somehow, she'd expected a family that produced a pair of prodigies like Marcus and Milo to live in some kind of posh suburb.

Instead, they had a small home in a row of rickety brick-front houses that shared walls, with no alleyways between them. Truthfully they were almost dingy, but the people they passed didn't seem to notice. It was a quite lively part of South Sunnyshore, with small, locally owned businesses and homes jumbled in together. It wasn't quite properly urban, but it definitely wasn't a suburb either. It had a thriving, happily chaotic feel to it.

"It's not much", said Milo's father, as he opened the door and showed Amaya inside, "but it's home. As long as you're here, what's ours is yours. You're part of the family now!"

"Thanks", Amaya was struck by their hospitality, "I really appreciate it."

"Of course, dear", smiled Milo's mother, "any friend of Milo's is welcome here. It must be a change to be in a place like this, after living so long in Twinleaf. It's not the biggest of places, is it?"

"Twinleaf? Heck no", Amaya laughed, "Twinleaf is still as tiny as ever. They haven't built a new building in Twinleaf for twenty years, and they're proud of that. I'm getting more used to big cities though, travelling with Milo. Jubilife was quite a shock the first time, though."

"Ah, those were the days", Alexander's eyes glinted. He was no doubt reminiscing some happy time gone by, "Travelling all across Sinnoh. I'll always say there's no finer region for a Trainer."

"Have you been to other regions?" Amaya was curious.

Milo's mother cut in, "Oh yes, Alexander had quite the career for himself before we settled down here. We used to travel together, before we had children. After Sinnoh, we got through Kanto, Hoenn, and Kalos before we came back home to Sunnyshore."

They fell to discussing Alexander's past career before moving to Training in general. Amaya found that, much like their two sons, both Zoe and Alexander could talk and talk and talk about battling without ever running out of things to say. Even little Myrian knew enough to contribute a thought here and there, though she seemed more interested in being a Performer (as she told Amaya over and over again).

Finally, after a hearty dinner, citing Amaya's morning check-in for the Rookie Challenge (not to mention Myrian's bedtime), Zoe suggested they all get some sleep.

 **Damion**

Sunnyshore was, in many ways, the polar opposite of his hometown. Even the 'rough' parts of Sinnoh's southeastern peninsular city were a joke compared to the haunting streets of Veilstone's northern harbor district.

Damion smirked to himself at the thought, leaning on the balcony outside his cheap motel room. He was proud of himself just for getting here. He'd received an invite long ago, due to his semifinal appearance in Hearthome, but he'd had to save up quite a bit in small-time battle winnings to purchase his train ticket and the motel room.

He snorted, and stepped inside to reexamine the information he had about this leg of the Rookie Challenge. His brow furrowed at a notable omission. Amaya was listed as a competitor, but…no Milo.

 _What's that about? Is he 'too good' to battle us now? What a prick. Still, maybe I can actually talk to Amaya now…Man, she's hot. And feisty. I like that in a girl._

He shook it off for the time being and looked over the schedule. Check-in was tomorrow, but the battling wouldn't begin until the next day. The competitors spent the rest of check-in day training in a large facility where they could get a look at one another and get a rough idea of what their potential opponents would be like. This would be interesting, since many of them were the same rookies who had battled in Hearthome. It could be cool to see how much some of the others had improved.

He himself had done a lot of work since his last run-in with the Rockets in Veilstone, to prove them wrong as well as to ensure that he could protect himself if they attacked. His team had responded well, too. He was finally starting to get his feet under him as a Trainer, and carve out his own style. Amaya would surely draw the most attention, with her team's insane levels of sheer power, but perhaps he could start to make his own waves as well.

 **Amaya**

The next morning, after Milo's family drove her to the check-in facility, she was given one field to herself in a corner of a massive indoor training space. Around her were the other competitors, each with their own fields. She'd never seen something like this, where they could all scope out one another's teams before the battling started. It presented an interesting chance to play some entertaining mind games.

 _Milo would be all over this_ , she thought to herself as she plunged her headphones on and released her team, _he'd plan the hell out of every second of this thing._

She gave her head a shake. Thinking of what Milo would do in her place wasn't productive. If she was going to win it for him, she was going to win it her way. She had to focus.

 _No mind games for me. I'll go all out training today, and they'll all be scared as hell of fighting me before we even get going. Simple._

She pulled out all five of her team members, and the Trainers nearest her immediately took notice, before slowly returning to their own efforts.

"Terrus, Granite, you're in."

She smirked as her two most aggressive fighters lined up with twin roars of eagerness, and began pummeling one another as hard as they could.

Offering only the occasional word of guidance, Amaya watched approvingly as she thought. It was odd that five unrelated Pokémon could assimilate to her unique philosophy so well. Terrus and Coral, in particular, highlighted this difference perfectly. Coral had a stately elegance about everything she did. In and out of battle, she maintained an almost regal dignity fitting of her species. Terrus, on the other hand, would pick a fight with a rock, if he thought it looked at him the wrong way. Currently, he was getting the better of the only rock who dared look at him the wrong way. Type advantage was taking its toll on Granite though, so Amaya called an end, and a switch.

"That's good! Terrus, that was great work on your Energy Ball, it's really coming along. Granite, excellent, just think twice before you swing that Iron Tail. It leaves you open for a good while if you miss."

Looking over her remaining team members, she decided to give her two newest Pokémon a chance.

"Leon, Spirielle, let's go. Get after it! Leon, I want to see plenty of Crunches and Night Slashes, try and pin her down. Spirielle, you _need_ to get focused!"

This was the constant struggle with a prankster Ghost-type like Spirielle. On her day, she was brilliant; she could strike ruthlessly from anywhere on the field at the drop of a hat, and she could play the status game as well, with moves like Lick, Confuse Ray and Hypnosis. Unfortunately, she didn't often like to get serious enough to be as effective as she could really be. As it happened, Leon was more or less the only one who could remain unfazed by the Ghost's antics in battle.

The rescued Luxio was rather like his Trainer. He buried a mountain of fiery passion behind a blank stare and a laser focused mindset. Terrus, Granite, and even Coral often became flustered and frustrated by Spirielle's constant joking around.

 _It's not hard to understand why_ , thought Amaya, as Spirielle went whizzing by her face, cackling manically as she dodged another Night Slash.

"Come on, Leon! Keep up the effort, but you have to put some thought into it, too! Don't hit where she is, hit where she's going! You can do it!"

Leon stopped for an instant, and his eyes flashed as he considered this new bit of advice.

"Lux", he gave a short bark and jumped forward, this time not directly at Spirielle, but off to the side. She dodged the other way gleefully, but now Leon was ready. He planted his feet and changed directions at light speed, landing an impressive Night Slash on a shocked Spirielle.

Amaya smirked as she congratulated Leon, "Great, but you know what's coming next! Get ready!"

Sure enough, Amaya's Gastly was at last motivated enough to stop aimlessly zooming around the field. She felt she'd been hit by a cheap shot, and now her pride was at stake. She instantly dropped the full force of a Shadow Ball on the offending Luxio, and the bout began in earnest.

Amaya let this continue until they'd both had enough. While they fought, she was careful to observe how each preferred to move. She knew that if she stuck to her single style, she'd soon hit a ceiling in terms of overall quality as a Trainer. She had to be able to adapt, and using Leon and Spirielle more often forced her to do just that. Her two newest Pokémon weren't the type to tank hits and counter with massive blasts, like her other three.

She'd developed a new plan for Leon and Spirielle. It was still based mostly on raw power, but she tried to mix this with enough speed to reasonably dodge most serious attacks. Her aim was to develop a hit-and-run rhythmic approach. Stop long enough to launch the biggest attack possible, maybe take a small hit in the process, but then move before any significant damage could come through.

 _Hopefully we can show off the rhythm thing here at the Rookie Challenge._

 **Damion**

Wow. He'd never get tired of watching Amaya work like that… He shook his head and tried to focus on his own business – Golbat was getting his butt kicked by Staraptor, but was slowly learning to defend himself – still, Damion's attention was drawn back yet again to Amaya's field, in the corner nearest him.

There was something undeniably sexy about her dangerous, explosive attitude, and her slim, elegant figure. And she hid it so well, too, with the ratty, rebellious-looking clothes…They'd be perfect together, he knew it. Unfortunately, she didn't get that. Yet. He held out hope that she'd see it his way in time.

He brought his mind back to his team's training just in time to see Golbat go down in an unceremonious heap. Predictable. Since Staravia's recent evolution to Staraptor, it had become easily his most reliable and powerful Pokémon. He was mostly thrilled to have a team member that shared his own brutal confidence and attitude. They actually got along fairly well now.

In fact, his relations with most of his team had _slowly_ been improving since his mind-challenging encounter with the Rockets back in Veilstone. He'd resolved, mostly for his own benefit, to distance himself from the disdain for his Pokémon that had brought him too close to them in the first place. He had to be able to _prove_ he wasn't like them.

"Alright", he called to his tired Flying types, "switch out. Let's get Machoke and Croagunk out."

He released his Fighting duo and instructed them briefly, "Listen up. Dodge if you have to, but let's focus on blocking in place, to open up a counterattack. Got it? Get to it."

He'd only recently caught his Croagunk, rounding out his full team of six. He felt somehow more solid having the full allotment of six Pokémon. It was silly, but he felt like it made him ready to get serious with his training. He'd picked out a style for himself and everything.

 _If life just keeps punching me in the face, I'll learn to be the best at taking hits and surviving. That's what I do. I survive. I'll always be ready to come back for more._

"Come on, Machoke", he screamed, "you can take that! Get back in there and hit him back! Yes, there you go! Again!"

Damion knew that he pushed his team farther than most, but he reasoned that this was the best possible way to maximize their stamina and endurance. If he wasn't giving up, they had to learn not to give up either.

"Up, Croagunk, you're done when I say you're done! Again!"

 **Amaya**

All morning she struggled to keep her mind on her training. Milo's predicament was never far from her thoughts, and her concerns and anxieties threatened to prevent her from getting any productive training in at all. Finally, around lunch, she took a break, and sat herself down. Her team was resting too, but Leon sensed his Trainer's perturbed mind.

The Luxio padded over silently and stoically, settling himself passively against her leg where she sat staring out at nothing.

"Hey there", Amaya absentmindedly began stroking Leon's head fur, just the way he liked, "you've been working hard."

He looked up at her almost disdainfully, as if to say 'hey, quit the small talk. I know I'm doing well, and I know you're not okay. Out with it.'

She sighed. She didn't have Milo's gift of telepathy, but after all this time with her team, she knew how to interact with them fairly well nonetheless.

"…Sorry, pal. I know, I'm not feeling it like usual. I just can't get my mind off Milo."

"Luuu…", Leon understood well. They were all worried for their friend.

"It's weird to be here without him, you know? I didn't think it would make a difference, but I guess I miss him being here to push me."

"Lux, Luxio", Leon glanced pointedly over at where the rest of the team was lounging, then back at Amaya with a hard look.

"Yeah, you're right. We push ourselves. Maybe that's not it. I just…need him to wake up. I mean, Kara needs him, like, romantically…but I just need him to be Milo, you know?"

Leon had settled back down, and gave a mournful purr in agreement. He missed Milo as much as his Trainer, as well as Milo's team. He and Aurora had become fast friends, and truth be told he had something of a boyish crush on Azura. But, putting these petty reasons aside, they'd all grown to feel like a big team together. The fact that some were Milo's Pokémon and some were Amaya's Pokémon was all but irrelevant. They each had their rivalries within the group, and their best friends, but any one of them would fight until the very end for any member of the group.

Still, Leon thought, perhaps that was what they could prove here in Sunnyshore. Were they not, as a group, fighting for the sake of their friends back in Pastoria? In an attempt to get his beloved Trainer out of her slump, he stood and gave her the fiercest glare he could muster.

"Lux! Lux Luxio!"

She understood, as he knew she would. She returned his look defiantly for a silent moment before a determined smile began to creep across her face.

He knew that look. It meant his Trainer was back. It meant they were about to train like never before. It meant they were about to prove they were the best. She stood, and dusted herself off, ruffling his head fur as she got the team's attention;

"Alright guys! Break time's over! I hope you got a good warmup, because the rest of today we're going all out!"

 **Kara**

It had been four days now. The time had burnt itself into her memory. As she sat at her now customary post, in an armchair pushed next to Milo's hospital bed, holding his limp hand, she allowed yet another tear to plow the well-worn path down her delicate cheek.

Currently, Azura and Drake were in the room with her. Milo's Pokémon had set up a kind of loose rotation. One or two of them at a time would sit resolutely with their endangered Trainer while the rest spent their time at the Pokémon Center, where Nurse Joy allowed them more or less free reign of the practice field, even going so far as to give them a room to stay in until something better could be found.

Suddenly, Milo twitched, and all three of the sentries stirred hopefully, looking desperately for some further sign of life…but no.

No, it was just another twitch. A few times a day now, he would have some kind of twitch or muscle spasm that might perhaps indicate that he was coming around, but every time so far it had been a false alarm.

"Vee", came a small voice from the door. Kara smiled tiredly at its owner.

"Hey there, Aurora. Is it your turn?"

The young Eevee, her head still bandaged from her own injuries, nodded somberly, and walked over to tap Drake on the leg; he'd been there the longest of the watchers. The Gabite stirred from his station by the window and left quietly to get exercise, food and rest. Kara watched with admiration as the small Evolution Pokémon hopped carefully onto the foot of Milo's bed and curled up by her Trainer's feet, settling with her head facing his. Ordinarily, she'd be bursting with energy as always, but the fear and uncertainty of the whole situation had cast a shadow over them all, and even Aurora had become much more subdued as they waited almost breathlessly day after day for some change, some sign that their Milo would pull through.

The room settled back into its constant state of oppressive silence. Azura, alert and unmoving, sat on a chair in the corner, her face blank. Aurora gazed sadly at her dear Trainer from her position at the foot of the bed. Kara, her hand still grasping Milo's, allowed her mind once more to wander. The memories washed over her yet again, like a relentless wave of residual terror.

 **Flashback**

"Kara…", mumbled a barely conscious Milo, strewn across the ground brokenly. He looked like he could barely hold his eyelids open. Kara's heart was pumping faster than ever before.

 _Why didn't I just run? This is all my fault…Oh, Milo, please…!_

"Yes, I'm here, Milo, stay with me, just stay awake, okay?" She was babbling in a panic, saying anything that came through her brain, desperate to keep Milo awake, completely unaware that she had just confessed her love to him, "Please, Milo, just stay awake. We'll get you to a hospital in Pastoria, I promise you'll make it, just please, _please_ stay with me, Milo!"

"No", his brow flickered, suddenly quite concerned, "no Pastoria. Have to ask out Kara first. 'Maya made me. Have a plan…"

With that, his eyes rolled back, and his head slumped.

"NO! NOOOOO, MILOOO!"

She screamed louder than she'd ever screamed, but to no avail. Milo was well and truly gone. She heard resounding howls from behind her, and a fierce light drew her attention. Fearing some new attack, she threw her body over Milo's and looked back over her shoulder in horror. What she saw astounded her even more.

From the bright glow emerged a full-grown and incredibly pissed off Infernape. The newly evolved Blaze threw himself back into the fray with renewed ferocity, along with every single one of Milo's Pokémon. They attacked the ghosts mercilessly, with unprecedented savage brutality. Even the injured young duo of Aurora and Ferra came screaming back into the battle with everything they were worth.

Still, the ghosts now had the advantage of a Trainer on the field. The terrifying floating ghost-man commanded his troops with the same eerie hissing voice,

" _Destroy them all! Finish them off! Coordinate, my doomsday spirits! Beat them back! For Aeon!_ "

Even with Milo out of commission, it looked an even fight. Blaze now had both fury and power to burn, and both Azura and Aurora had super-effective moves that they used to great effect. Kara was wide-eyed; she'd never dared to imagine such an all-out melee as this. Both sides were determined to utterly decimate one another.

Fiery blasts, explosions of stone, earth, pure energy and shadow resounded with deafening bangs across the wooded area as the battle swung back and forth. Every time the ghosts gained an upper hand, one of Milo's Pokémon would produce something outright heroic to even the fight out again. On and on it went, neither side giving an inch, until the insanity took yet another twist.

"HYAAAH! GO, GO, GOOOO!"

In a full-tilt sprint, Amaya came crashing through the trees, throwing Pokéballs as fast and as hard as she could. In an instant, all of her team joined the brawl.

Suddenly the tide was turned. Leon, Blaze, Coral and Azura together faced down the Dusknoir and its ethereal master, while Granite, Terrus and Spirielle bombarded the two Haunter, giving welcome relief and support to Drake and Milo's two younger Pokémon.

After only a minute of this renewed resistance, the pale, floating ghost-man howled in rage and called off his ambush;

" _RRAAH! Damn you foolish meddlers! Away, my spirits, away! We will claim our revenge for this insult!_ "

In seconds, the enemies were gone. As the Pokémon caught their breath and regrouped, Amaya sprinted over to where Kara was still shaking in fear, cradling the limp body of Milo. Only then had they begun to realize just how serious the situation really was.

 **End Flashback**

Amaya lay awake in the spare bedroom (actually Marcus' old room) in Milo's family's house. She, too, had been replaying the horrific scenes of that night. Kara had been in shock as much as the Pokémon, so Amaya had been the one to alert the authorities. She'd also given the best description she could muster to Marcus, who had demanded every detail.

As soon as she reported the creepy floating ghost-human thing, the Hearthome Leader had put up a hand to stop her.

"That's enough."

He'd stood up, a look in his eyes that could only be described as murderous. It certainly gave Amaya chills just to see that look on Marcus' normally friendly face. He looked genuinely ready to kill.

"They've gone too far. They will be hunted down, I swear. Every last one of them will pay for this. Absol."

In a silent flash, Marcus' famous partner was at his side, awaiting instruction. Amaya could only sit silently, knowing Marcus had more or less forgotten she was there. The Leader looked at his trusted Pokémon and said in a low voice,

"The League sent a Primal to ambush Milo. He's in a coma. We're going straight to the top. Something _must_ be done about this. Come."

Together, the powerful pair had left the room to who knows where. They hadn't been seen or heard from since.

Shaking herself to clear her head, Amaya rolled over and forced herself to try and sleep. She'd need to be at her best to really show her stuff tomorrow.

-o-

At last, the time had come. 32 rookie Trainers stood in a line in the Central Park Pokémon Stadium, in the heart of Sunnyshore City.

Near one end of the line stood Amaya. She had composed herself, hiding the whirlwind of tensions and emotions behind her seemingly ever-present blank mask. Down at the other end stood Damion Parr. He sported his favorite red leather jacket with confidence and a smirk. He thought himself new and improved, and he was eager to show it.

As the day's battling began, it was once again evident that these two graduates from two of the region's top three schools were on a collision course for the final. Amaya wasted no time dismantling her opponents, stomping on them with crushing efficiency. Damion became something of a juggernaut. Through the early fights, it seemed that no matter how many hits his Pokémon took, they refused to go down. They were fairly strong and decently fast, but their real advantage was in their endurance and persistence. They simply would not accept defeat. It was a new look from him that took many experienced observers by surprise.

Day One of the Rookie Challenge flew by in a rush, as Amaya and Damion took on all comers and emerged virtually unscathed every time. Before anyone could process their utter dominance, it was time for the semifinals, which were the last fights of the marathon day.

As the four semifinalists sat for the customary interview session, the proverbial Donphan in the room was quickly addressed;

"Amaya; everyone's obviously wondering, why isn't Milo here? Are you still travelling together? Are you ditching the Gym Challenge?"

Amaya took a breath to prepare herself. She'd planned for this moment.

"Milo's not here because he was attacked on the road. Somebody – we're not sure who – ambushed him at night and he's still in bad shape. I'm here to continue because I fully intend to win this for his sake. He would want me to give it my all."

At that, the room practically exploded, and when the staff couldn't get the crowd of reporters quieted down, they ended the interviews early. In unceremonious fashion, Amaya was told by the tournament staff that her semifinal opponent was Nova, the girl Milo had fought in the last Rookie Challenge.

So, after dropping that bombshell bit of news, Amaya found herself in the staging room with Nova, both waiting for the battle to start.

"Sorry to hear about Milo. I hope he pulls through", ventured Nova.

"…Thanks."

It was an awkward and brief exchange, but Amaya was grateful nonetheless. She decided in that brief moment that she could respect this odd-looking Nova girl.

After another few minutes, both of them were brought out onto the field in proper fashion, where the stadium lights shone brightly down onto the combatants as evening fell. It didn't escape Amaya's notice that the whole stadium seemed to be buzzing; word seemed to have gotten out quickly about the reason for Milo's well-documented absence. So much so, in fact, that the announcer tried and failed to get everybody's attention before finally just starting the battle;

"Ladies and gentlemen! Ladies…and…gentlemen! …Your first two semifinalists, the local favorite, Nova, and the powerhouse sensation, Amaya! Battle, begin!"

Eyes gleamed, and friends throughout the stadium or at home gathered around a television nudged one another in anticipation as the first two Pokémon were called out. As with any match Amaya fought, this would no doubt be a real treat to watch.

"Quagsire! Time for battle!"

"Terrus, let's do this."

Amaya had time for a small smirk. She'd opened with Leon most of the time, so Nova had tried to counter with the Electric-immune Quagsire. Now, she was faced with Terrus, to whom Quagsire had a four times weakness.

 _Milo's been rubbing off on me, I suppose. Let's win it._

Nova grimaced as she realized how flimsy her strategy had been. Nevertheless, she set herself and gave it her all;

"Mist, Quagsire!"

"Razor Leaf, Terrus, while you can see it."

The Mist was already rolling in, and the Quagsire made a clumsy attempt to scramble away. Still, it was struck by the tail end of Razor Leaf, and gave a pained 'Quaaaag!' before it slipped into its cover.

Amaya presumed Nova would wait her out now, but her opponent surprised her yet again;

"Now Rain Dance, Quagsire!"

 _Hmm, clever_ , thought Amaya, _she only needed Mist to keep me at bay long enough to power up her Water moves. I should've seen that coming. Still, I'll smoke her out._

"Energy Ball, machine gun style. Find this thing."

Terrus grinned darkly; this was one of his favorite techniques. He opened his maw and spouted a stream of dangerous Energy Ball attacks all across his field of vision. He found the Quagsire, but just too late to cancel the Rain Dance.

"Quag!" Nova's Pokémon let out a yelp as a couple of Terrus' attacks struck it just after its manufactured drizzle began to pick up into a decent downpour.

"Focus, Quagsire", coached Nova, "Scald it!"

The Mist was fading with the rain, but from the last little cloud came a boiling hot jet of water that smashed Terrus head on. It wasn't the most effective thing ever, but it certainly didn't tickle.

The indomitable Grotle gave a low growl, chomping at the bit for the next command from Amaya, who was gauging the situation as quickly as she could.

"Alright, we've found it, now Giga Drain."

"Dodge, now!"

Quagsire tried to evade, but the Water-type was rather clumsy on land, and slipped on the wet ground. It cried out once more as Terrus drained as much energy as he could siphon. Quagsire tried to push itself back up to fight, but fell down unconscious.

"Grotle is the winner! Nova, your next Pokémon, please!"

Amaya saw her hesitate, and thought, _She's trapped herself. She wants to pull her new Magmar, but she started the Rain Dance, so she can't. Heh._

"Roserade, you're in!"

This presented an interesting challenge, but Amaya relished the opportunity to win a round with brute force.

"Heat check, Terrus", called Amaya immediately, "Grass Knot."

The sudden move caught Nova off guard, and her prize Roserade went down in a flowery huff. Far from done, it leapt back up, and Nova was ready to counter;

"Now, Stun Spore!"

"Energy Ball, straight through it!"

Amaya's ploy was a desperate one. The Energy Ball struck home and caught some of the Stun Spore, but Roserade's attack was too potent to be cancelled so simply, and Terrus grimaced as his muscles began to freeze and spasm; he was paralyzed. He could still move, albeit slowly, but his muscles would intermittently refuse his commands. He growled defiantly at the Bouquet Pokémon, but Amaya was beginning to have her doubts about the matchup. Terrus couldn't counter the status game.

 _I guess I do what I can here and play for time. The rain can't go too much longer, now that Quagsire's out of the battle…_

In the meantime, she gave up trying to have Terrus move at all. Instead, he fired off Grass Knot, Energy Ball, and Razor Leaf attacks whenever his paralysis allowed. Nova adapted well, though, and soon even the attacks Terrus did manage to fire missed the mark.

"Now, Roserade", cried the Sunnyshore native, "close in fast and Poison Jab!"

Too fast for the disabled Grotle, Nova's Pokémon managed to land a potent, venom-laden kick to his side. He howled as the Roserade's poison coursed through his already-paralyzed body.

 _Damn_ , Amaya cursed to herself, _she didn't have to take Terrus down, she just had to incapacitate him. I've got no choice, he's going to be knocked out if I leave him in._

"Terrus, Return and then return!"

With a last burst of furious white energy, Terrus delivered a massive hit to Roserade, symbolic of his ever-strengthening bond with the Trainer he trusted implicitly. Satisfied, he allowed himself to be recalled, knowing that even though he could play no further role in this fight, he had done his part for the team. He trusted his teammates to do the same.

"Thanks Terrus, that was great work. Spirielle, you're in, let's do this."

The Gastly burst forth with a creepily ecstatic cackle, and Nova's Roserade, which had to be on its last legs, waited attentively in the fading drizzle.

"That thing forced Terrus out, Spirielle, I need you to take it down. Move, and Shadow Ball!"

With that, Spirielle simply vanished. Trying not to panic, Nova called to her fighter,

"Roserade, find it, quick! Ready a Poison Jab!"

Preparing a counter was the right reaction, but Poison Jab was the wrong execution. Shadow Ball had a far greater range than Roserade's Poison Jab. Sure enough, from across the field came a ball of nasty ethereal energy as large as the Gastly herself, which struck Roserade full-on with no chance at a counterattack. Nova went for the kamikaze tactic, and called out desperately;

"Roserade, I need a massive Stun Spore, as wide as you can!"

As a fully evolved Grass/Poison type, the Bouquet Pokémon was more than up to the task, and Spirielle's mad laughter turned to pained confusion as her movements were suddenly slow and unnatural.

 _Dammit_ , though Amaya, _how can a Ghost even_ get _paralyzed!? Crap, that's two Pokémon forced out from status issues. I gotta work on that. First, we'll wipe out this overgrown flower._

"Spirielle, I just need one more hit! Come on, Astonish!"

The Gastly was able to stave off the effects of paralysis just long enough to execute the Dark-type attack, adding a close-range Shadow Ball to make doubly sure. Roserade didn't get back up.

Despite Amaya's clear dominance in terms of power, the battle was now somewhat even. Amaya's team wasn't down, but two of her wild cards were incapacitated.

"Roserade is unable to battle, Gastly is the winner! Nova, call your next Pokémon!"

 _Keep it calm_ , Amaya reminded herself, _that was her ace in the hole. It's all downhill from here._

Running through her options, she decided to put the battle beyond question and not risk anymore unexpected turns.

"Spirielle, you're done, that was good. Coral, you're in!"

The crowd gave a collective 'ooh!' as the most notoriously powerful Pokémon in the tournament burst forth with a loud, melodious cry.

 **Nova**

Her face blanched as she craned her neck upwards to see the full glory of Amaya's now-famous Milotic. Just as she'd thought that maybe there was hope, this beautiful beast came out to remind her just how far she had left to go.

 _She did this on purpose_ , Nova realized, _this is a show of force to beat me down mentally. Think, Nova, you're not out of this yet. She's tough, but nothing is invincible._

"Alright", she called, after taking a breath and pushing her glasses forcefully back up the bridge of her nose, "Luxio, time for battle!"

Across the field, Nova was disappointed to see not even the slightest flicker of fear cross Amaya's face. The Twinleaf prodigy explained with a smirk,

"Did you forget I've got a Luxio, too? Coral's trained against electricity day in and day out. You don't scare us."

Nova opened her mouth to respond, but then rebuked herself, _No. Don't get drawn into her mind games. She'll beat you before she even attacks. Just fight._

"Luxio, Swift! And move!"

"Ice Beam!"

Nova's breath caught in her throat, but her heart swelled with pride as Luxio held its nerve in the face of the mighty attack. He released his Swift attack perfectly and was just in time to jump away from Ice Beam.

"YES! Now, Luxio, Double Kick and Thunder Fang!"

Unfortunately, her early success had, for a split second, made her overconfident. Luxio dashed in and landed a quick Double Kick to Coral's vulnerable underside. However, just as he was coming back in for the Thunder Fang, which would have dealt significant damage, Amaya scowled and barked at her battler;

"Make him back off, Coral. Dragon Tail."

Luxio was swatted away effortlessly by the ironically named Tender Pokémon and went flying across the field like a rag doll before skidding to a stop at Nova's feet.

"Ah, no! Luxio, are you okay?"

The Spark Pokémon growled and forced himself to his feet. As the dust from Dragon Tail was settling, Nova called out with pride;

"No more running! Thunderbolt!"

The only explanation was that Amaya had expected Luxio to go down. Otherwise she would never have allowed such a simple trick. But, somehow, Thunderbolt was a direct and critical hit. With that one heroic jolt, Coral cried out and collapsed.

 _Wait, did I just…?_ Nova was in shock, until she saw that, just like Luxio, her opponent's Milotic was pushing itself laboriously upright, ready to keep fighting.

 _Yeah, of course that would've been too easy._

"Alright, Luxio, we're still in this! Another Swift!"

"Enough games, Coral. Don't dodge, just Hydro Pump!"

Swift hit the Milotic, but it was like raindrops hitting the ocean. The attack did almost less than nothing. Coral the Milotic took the hit without so much as a wince as she wound up a huge Hydro Pump. A torrent of water came crashing down on the already exhausted Luxio, and he was done. Once again, Nova had made a good dent in Amaya's team, but had come away emptyhanded. She was running out of chances to turn this around in from of her home crowd.

"Luxio is unable to battle, Milotic is the winner! Nova, your next Pokémon!"

She was almost out of options. Between her two remaining Pokémon, there was only one obvious choice. Even weakened, this Milotic would thrash her Magmar without batting an eye.

"Okay, Shellos, time to battle!"

For a moment, nothing happened. Nova was furiously trying to find a reason to believe that Shellos could beat this magnificent creature, and Amaya just looked…tired? Haggard? Mentally exhausted, perhaps? Nova recalled that she must be struggling, what with Milo's problems and the tournament to consider… perhaps there really was a chink in her impenetrable armor.

The pause in the battle had spread across the stadium, and the crowd held its breath waiting for something – anything – to happen.

 _Is she going to switch?_ Nova was trying to figure out what Amaya was planning, and how to counter it, _No, she missed her chance to change…Screw it, let's get this going!_

"Shellos, Sludge!"

Again, Amaya just…wasn't in the battle. She called a counter, but it was hasty and malformed;

"Uh, Coral, blow that back! Twister!"

Coral complied beautifully, but Twister was never going to blow the thick, slimy Sludge completely off course, and enough of it landed that Coral was clearly struck by the poison.

"Yes! Now, Mud Bo – wait, no! Shellos, MOVE!"

She'd been so excited about the Sludge that somehow she failed to notice the Twister that rampaged across the field and flung her poor Shellos around helplessly. The mismatch in power was evident when Shellos, sustaining massive damage, was KO'd in that one hit.

 _Ah, shoot…Still, she won't stick with Milotic after the poison and the Thunderbolt, right?_

 **Amaya**

She just…wasn't dialed in. She couldn't explain her growing mental lapses. She was furious beyond belief with herself, but some part of her refused stubbornly to click into its proper place, and it was affecting her ability to control this battle properly. As Shellos was declared unable to continue, Amaya growled and said,

"Dammit…Coral, return. I'm sorry. Granite, you're in."

She knew Nova had only her Magmar left, and she was in no mood for games at this point. Granite was the safe choice against fire, so Granite it was. The Onix emerged with a mighty roar to announce himself, and the round began.

"Rock Polish, Granite."

"Magmar, Brick Break!"

 _Brick Break?! Crap, I should've known…of all the stupid miscalculations to make…_

Granite powered through the big Fighting-type hit to finish setting up Rock Polish but it was a big play early in the round, and a very uncomfortable surprise.

"Urghh…Granite, make it rain! Rock Throw wherever you can!"

Granite knew how to take hits and come back swinging. He was now both wounded and dangerous, and Magmar had to look sharp to avoid the boulders that came flying in much faster than Nova had thought possible.

"Come on, Magmar", called Nova, "just keep dodging! Give it a Smokescreen to throw off its aim!"

As Nova's Pokémon produced a thick black cloud, Amaya made no attempt to strategize.

"Switch to Rock Tomb, Granite."

At this point, the Sunnyshore native was outclassed, outgunned, disadvantaged, and unlucky. Magmar took two big hits from Rock Throw while setting up the Smokescreen, and then hid in the middle of the cloud…which was exactly where Granite aimed his blind Rock Tomb.

Not giving the Spitfire Pokémon time to escape on its own, Amaya called one of her favorite battle-ending techniques;

"Iron Tail, and try to snipe it with a Gyro Ball."

The Gyro Ball just barely missed, but it was irrelevant. The brutal Iron Tail follow-up from the Rock Tomb was enough to end the fight.

"Magmar is unable to battle, Onix wins! The match goes to Amaya of Twinleaf Town!"

The crows erupted with noise at the sheer power of Amaya's team. Nova had put up a respectable, even impressive fight, but Amaya had quite simply overpowered her at every turn. Her Pokémon were flat-out stronger, and that was enough to win her the match.

Still upset with herself, she silently shook Nova's hand in the middle of the field, gave a short, compulsory wave to the onlookers, and left the stadium, head down, hands stuffed forcefully in her pockets. So upset was she that she took a back route out of the stadium and bypassed the crowd of media waiting for her triumphant exit outside the main doors. She needed to sit down with herself. Alone.

She recalled, somehow, a park that she'd driven by on her way to the stadium, and her feet took her there, working on something like autopilot as her emotions built up within her. Once she found a secluded little spot, at the base of a tree next to a walking path, shielded from view by a row of bushes, she flung herself to the ground and let some freakish type of growl-roar issue from her throat;

"GrrrrrAAAAHHHH!" She punched the tree behind her with a closed fist, and began ranting furiously at her own weakness, "What the _hell_ is WRONG WITH ME!? Why can't I just _focus_ and not make STUPID MISTAKES? I can't even keep Coral out of harm's way from a damn Electric type! AAAAHH!"

She paused to recover her breath, her chest heaving from the pent-up emotion. After the anger was spent came the fear, the uncertainty, and the doubt. Having forcefully burned through her rage, she curled up in a sad ball at the base of that same tree and began to sob in a most un-Amaya-like manner. Out flashed Leon, who had quietly become her go-to source for consolation, and Coral, who had been with her the longest and knew the young Trainer inside and out.

The Milotic gently wrapped her long, elegant self around Amaya protectively, as if to shield her from the negativity that threatened to overtake her. In the middle of this huddle settled Leon, in his Trainer's lap. He nudged her with his head, prompting her softly to express whatever was making her feel this way.

"I…I was wrong", she said shakily, "I thought I could do this, but…without knowing whether he'll make it, I just…I can't. It's too much. It's so much…this is so hard…"

Her voice cracked, and she gave a pathetic sob before more words came spilling out,

"I don't even need him to be here, I just – I _have_ to know he's going to be okay. He's my best friend, and I don't know if he'll ever be back to normal. There's so much pressure now…I have to be the best, the strongest, the most unbreakable, but – I'm scared. I'm scared to be alone."

Eventually, the words stopped. Soon afterwards, the tears dried. Then, she just sat there with her Pokémon, numb inside, unable to move, feeling isolated, scared, and unfathomably weak. Eventually her mental strength gave out completely, and she fell asleep there, curled up with Coral and Leon.

Coral recognized this first, and gave a soft coo to get Leon's attention. She instructed her teammate gently to go back to Milo's parents and get somebody to come fetch Amaya. As the Luxio carefully extracted himself, Coral called after him to make sure that as few people as possible came. Amaya would surely want this episode to remain a secret as much as possible.

 **Myrian**

It was after dinner now, and Milo's friend hadn't come back home yet. Mom and Dad were giving each other that look they used when they were worried and didn't want to scare her.

 _Why is she staying away?_ The young girl was concerned herself. She liked Milo's friend. Amaya was quiet, but nice inside. Like her big brother Marcus. Dad got up to bring his empty plate to the sink, and to talk to Mom where Myrian couldn't hear.

So it was that only Milo's little sister heard the soft _thump-thump-thump_ on the front door. The curious girl got down from the table and peeked out the window, like Mom always did when they didn't know who was visiting.

Surprised by what she saw, Myrian opened the door and asked, "What's the matter, Mister Luxio? Why are you visiting our house?"

The Pokémon began barking frantically, gesturing and trying to get Myrian to follow. The girl frowned and looked more carefully at the creature, and noticed the telltale stripe pattern on his front legs,

"Oh, you're _that_ Luxio! You belong to Milo's friend! MOM! DAD!"

Myrian's parents came running to the door, and Myrian proudly explained her discovery,

"Look, look! I found Amaya's Luxio! I think he knows where she went! Let's follow him!"

She stepped down the stairs to begin the exciting journey, but her father scooped her up in his strong arms and said, "No, Myrian, you and Mommy have to stay here in case Milo's friend comes back to our house, okay? You keep a sharp eye out here, and I'll see what this little guy wants to show us, hmm?"

Myrian was disappointed not to be following the Luxio, but her heart swelled at this very important assignment from her father;

"Okay, Dad. I'll watch real good. If she comes back here, I'll tell Mom right away."

"That's my beautiful girl. I'll be back soon."

With a quick kiss on his daughter's forehead, and a peck on the cheek for his wife, Alexander turned and followed the impatient Luxio, who was only too happy to be off.

Once her dad had left, Myrian went back inside and took up position on the couch, her head and hands pressed to the window, looking this way and that for Amaya. She watched as hard as she could, her concentration broken only once, for a small moment, when the phone rang. Mom went to get it, and after a few silent seconds, Myrian heard a shocked gasp. She looked back to see her mother wide-eyed, tearing up, her hand over her mouth.

"Th-thank you", said Mom quietly into the phone, "Thank you so much…oh, I'm so glad, I'm so glad…"

Her hands shook as she hung up, and Myrian immediately abandoned her lookout spot to run and hug her Mom around the waist as tightly as she could. Seeing her mother get so emotional rather scared her, especially at a time like this.

"Don't cry, Mom! It's okay!"

"It's fine, my baby girl, everything is much better now. Oh, I can hardly breathe, I'm so relieved…"

Zoe embraced her youngest child fervently (the young girl was still quite confused at this sudden attitude change) until an urgent knock came on their door. Myrian stayed put as her mom ran to answer, and lo and behold her dad strode quickly in, his arm supporting a weak and shaky Amaya.

"I found her in the park, she was curled up with her Milotic. She's…Zoe, I don't know if she's going to be able to battle tomorrow in the final. I think the mental strain finally broke her. She's been under so much stress, anyone would've popped sooner or later.

"Quick, lay her there on the couch", replied the ever-caring Zoe, "Is she…awake?"

"Yeah…" Amaya spoke up weakly, her voice small and wistful, "I just…I don't know what's wrong with me…I'm supposed to be stronger than this…"

 **Amaya**

So this was what she was reduced to. Having stress-induced panic attacks alone in the middle of Sunnyshore, having to be rescued by Milo's parents because she couldn't hold herself together.

 _Pathetic_ , she told herself. She'd woken up to a gentle shake and a strange voice saying,

"Amaya? Amaya, it's me, Alexander. Milo's father. I'm going to get you home, alright? Come on, come with me."

She only hazily remembered a taxi ride back to Milo's family's house. To be honest, she'd passed out twice more on the way, only to be carefully revived by Leon, who was beside himself with worry for his Trainer.

 _Pathetic_ , she thought again. The word, uttered so strongly amidst such despair, stirred some extremely uncomfortable memories, and Amaya had not the mental strength to resist them as her tears and childhood memories took control of her already fragile consciousness.

 **Flashback**

"Hey, 'Maya, want to know a secret?"

"Oh, yeah! What is it, Maxie?"

Nine-year-old, bright-eyed Amaya lit up at the chance to be a confidant to the older sister she idolized beyond all else.

"You know those guys who've been in town recently?"

Her face fell a small bit. She knew the creepy figures who'd been loitering obtrusively around Twinleaf's outskirts. She'd been warned by her teachers to stay away. They made her uncomfortable.

"Yeah…what about 'em?"

Looking around to make sure nobody was passing by their outdoor picnic bench, the older sister leaned in and whispered conspiratorially,

"I went and talked to them yesterday."

"What? Maxie, why would you talk to them? They're… you know, _bad guys_."

Eyes now ablaze, Maxie responded with no small amount of pride, "That's what everyone around here wants us to think, but it's not true. They want to change the world, and they want people with Pokémon talent to help them do it. We're going to improve the whole world!"

"Wait, _we_? Maxie, you didn't…what did you tell them?"

Maxie was in full steam now, and failed to notice the look of absolute horror on the face of her younger sister;

"I'm leaving this two-bit nothing town. I'm getting out of here to do something _real_ in the world. I'm going to be a part of something _big_. How's that, huh? 'Maya?"

She seemed to have assumed that her younger sister, as usual, would be excited about anything that excited her, but Amaya's face showed not joy but betrayal. Tears were already forming in the young girl's eyes.

"B-but, Maxie, please don't…Don't leave me…don't go be a bad guy. Maxie, you – you can't! You can't just leave me! Maxie, please!"

Angered by this intense show of desperate disapproval, Maxie stood with a frown;

"Oh, shut up, 'Maya."

Amaya recoiled as if she'd just been shot, but Maxie was just getting started;

"Just because you're happy to stay here and waste your life doesn't mean I have to. I'm going to be somebody in this world, and if you can't get that then you're not worth my time. I thought you of all people would understand, 'Maya. But now I guess you'll never be what I can. You'll always be stuck here like Mom, Dad, and everyone else."

Amaya was curled up in a trembling ball of misery by this point, but Maxie had long since hardened her resolve and was not looking back.

"Please…" Amaya whispered between sobs, "Maxie – please stop…"

"Look at you", spat the older sister derisively, "I thought we were best friends. Sisters. I thought I could tell you anything! All I want is for someone to see that this is what's best for me; this is my free ticket onto the big stage! When Master Cyrus' plans come to fruition, I'll be a hero! And what's your reaction? You curl up in a ball and cry because I'm not spending the rest of my life in the backwoods of _Twinleaf_? I thought more of you, 'Maya. This…it's just _pathetic_."

Her blood pounding after working herself up into this rage, Maxie stood and, without a second glance, strode away.

Amaya never saw her sister after that. She'd heard via the local paper that her sister was among those arrested for working as a grunt in Team Galactic. She'd felt only a savage sense of scornful joy at the news. That one word was forever burned into her mind from that day…

 _Pathetic._

 **End Flashback**

The painful tide of memories at last ran their course, and Amaya slowly came to realize she was sitting on someone's couch…

This house…it was Milo's family's house. There was Milo's dad, sitting across from her, looking very concerned. His arm was wrapped around Milo's younger sister, who was also visibly nervous. And she herself was – she was sobbing into somebody's shoulder. That somebody was stroking her hair gently, in a very motherly way. Ah, that was because that somebody was Zoe, Milo's mom.

 _…I've been crying like a miserable slob on their sofa for how long now?_

"Shh", whispered Milo's mother gently, "It's okay, dear. You're okay. Do you want to talk at all?"

She could feel only a deep sense of shame at failing to control herself and causing them such worry and inconvenience.

"I – I'm sorry", she eked out.

"No, no, please don't apologize", came the fervent reply, along with a warm squeeze of her shoulder, "We just want to make sure you're doing okay."

"Oh. Uh, thanks…I just – I haven't been this, well, scared I guess… in a _long_ time."

"I understand", Zoe replied gently, "Honey, could you get Myrian to bed, please?"

Alexander nodded knowingly, and took their youngest child upstairs.

"There now", said Zoe, "it's just you and I. Are you sure there's nothing you need to get out?"

Amaya opened her mouth, then shut it again. Some part of her insisted that 'Amaya' would never just talk about feelings this way. That part of her lost the fight. Before she could argue herself into remaining silent, the words began to spill out;

"It's just so much pressure…I'm supposed to be the biggest, toughest Rookie besides Milo, and I've got my whole town counting on me to be this big prodigy, and now Milo's in a _coma_ in Pastoria, and who knows what's going to happen with him, and I've got to worry about that jerk-face Damion and those Team Rocket witches, and whoever attacked Milo got away, and now I'm alone trying to win this big tournament and handle all that at the same time – _by myself_ …I just can't do all of this! I can't!"

Zoe was once again stroking the young woman's hair consolingly, nodding, "I know. I know, Amaya, it's hard. It's really hard sometimes. It feels like too much. You feel alone. Remember, though, you're _not alone_. Your Luxio came and got us to help you, and your Milotic was there with you in the park tonight. Our Milo's always with you as you travel. I know you feel alone, but please remember you aren't. Just know that. You are not alone."

 _I'm not alone_ ; the sentence felt magical to Amaya. As she repeated it to herself, the truth of it sunk in, and began to cure her. And yet –

"But I'm still scared. I'm scared about Milo. I can't – I can't lose my best friend, I can't just keep going without him…That's why I couldn't battle well today, I'm just so nervous about him. I need my best friend to be okay."

"Well", Amaya felt the woman next to her break a smile, "In that case, I may be able to help you even more. We got a call at the house as my husband was searching for you. Just this evening, a few hours ago…Milo woke up."

 **Author's Notes:**

 **First, to all reviewers, thank you. No, seriously, thank you.**

 **This Chapter: I wanted to deviate from the course of the typical game-fic plotline. I felt this would be a good way to shake things up and put a real, prolonged element of worry in there regarding Milo's injuries. It also offered the chance to delve into some of my non-Milo characters. This took forever because I moved and started a new job shortly after putting up Chapter 15. I'm not quitting my writing, by any means! Sorry for the delay!**

 **General Notes: Things will continue to heat up, so be sure to stay tuned! I'm stoked about some of the twists coming up, and the chance to unpack some of the bombs I dropped in this chapter. As always, I welcome any form of feedback; be it complements or constructive criticism, any (non-troll) review is worthwhile! If you'd rather not review, that's fine; you can still follow/favorite to keep up with Milo and Company (or with me as an author). THANK YOU ALL FOR READING!**

 **I don't own Pokémon.**

 **Reviews:**

 **GameboyAnonymous; here you go, I'm sorry for scaring you. This one's for you, pal.**

' **Unnamed guest'; I truly appreciate and value your detailed input. It's driven me to put extra effort into the quality of my writing and especially the plot/characters. For real, big thanks.**

 **AlexJMP; without giving away too much, I'll just say I don't plan on utilizing the PC system too much, as that always feels awkward and laborious in a written story, to me at least. Glad you're enjoying the characters! I really try to make them original and engaging!**

 **TheGreatOne; I'm not positive about your punctuation suggestions…you may be right, I'm no expert, but this is just muscle memory for me at this point, and I think it's how I've seen it done elsewhere. I honestly appreciate the support, though, thanks! Don't be shy on sharing your thoughts! Hope this helps with that cliffhanger… ;)**


	17. Chapter 17 - The Calm Before the Storm

Milo Chapter 17 – The Calm Before the Storm

 **Kara**

The silent hospital room was just beginning to brighten as the sun peeked over the rooftops of Pastoria. Kara had been awake most of the night – again. She looked forlornly to her left to see, as expected, no change in Milo's condition. Today would be the third day since that awful attack, and Milo was still just as comatose and unresponsive as ever.

The morning's first noise was the soft creak of the door as it opened. Kara stirred in her armchair, turning to see Amaya setting her fully packed duffel bag by the door. Aurora, who was bundled in a blanket at the foot of Milo's bed, lifted her head up and gave a weak grin. Amaya returned it, and nodded at Blaze, who stood stoically by the window looking magnificent in his new Infernape form.

"…I have to go", said the Twinleaf Trainer quietly, "Sunyshore's waiting for me."

Trying her best to put on a happy, encouraging smile, Kara waved with her free hand to her friend.

"Best of luck, Amaya! Have fun at the Rookie Challenge! Bring back a trophy for all of us!"

The Twinleaf girl nodded in response, and was halfway through the door of Milo's hospital room when she stopped, turned back, and said quietly,

"Kara, you're the first person I've met who's better than me at pretending everything's okay. But you know…for me, you don't have to."

Recognizing the truth in the young Trainer's words, Kara took a breath, and replied with a much hollower tone,

"I…I know. Call it a habit. Thanks for understanding, Amaya."

The shorter girl crossed the room and put a hand on her Performer friend's shoulder;

"You got it. We both need him, after all. In different ways, but we both need him to be Milo. I'll fight for him there, and you watch over him here. We'll both be strong. Okay?"

"…Okay."

She knew Amaya wasn't the hugging type, but moments like this surely warranted an exception. Kara jumped up and tightly embraced her new friend, just briefly, before sinking back into her armchair. Amaya gave another curt nod, and was gone, on her way to Sunyshore to stay with Milo's family.

So began Day Three of their tense vigil, keeping guard over the unconscious Milo.

All three of the watchers were silent, barely even making eye contact with each other, until mid-morning, when another voice in the doorway roused them;

"Hey. It's time for a shift change, folks! Kara, you need to go eat breakfast. C'mon."

In strolled Gardenia, with Azura and Ferra in tow. The kindly Eterna Leader had taken an impromptu vacation at Marcus' request to help ensure that Kara and the Pokémon were taken care of. Jenks had also stayed behind, choosing to help in Pastoria instead of accompanying Amaya to Sunyshore, once it was decided that Milo's family could host her there.

With a sad nod, Kara begrudgingly relinquished the armchair and walked with Milo's Eevee and Infernape across the road to the Pokémon Center to get food. As she walked, she released her newly caught Ralts, whom she had named Florence. She always felt…well, not _better_ , but at least more stable when her little Psychic type was with her.

 _I shouldn't be surprised,_ she thought with a halfhearted smile, _the Ralts line specialize in emotions and empathy. Well, whatever it is, I'm grateful, little Flo._

 _I'm happy to help, Madame Kara._

"EEEAAHH!" Kara jumped well over a foot in the air before falling down on the ground in a heap, holding her head in her hands. Blaze and Aurora whirled around and made to come to her rescue, but stopped at a look from Florence before trading a knowing smile and approaching quite calmly.

 _Do not be afraid, Madame Kara, it is only I; your own Lady Florence whom you have named._

Kara winced as the strange female voice resounded once more unbidden in her mind, but she began to uncurl slowly from the fetal position. She stared in awe at the little Feeling Pokémon who was offering her a hand (a symbolic gesture, of course, as Florence was much too small to help Kara up physically in any way).

"F-F-Florence? I…I guess you're a Psychic type, after all, but…wow, that feels _really_ weird. Sorry for freaking out, I should've guessed this would happen eventually. Umm, nice to meet you officially, I guess?"

 _My thanks, Madame Kara_ , answered the Ralts with a prim curtsey, _I'm honored that you saw fit to allow me the pleasure of your company as you make your grand journey._

"Wow, now that I know what's going on, I have to say I love your voice, Florence. It's so smooth and melodic!"

It was maybe not the most natural thing to notice, but one could forgive Kara for being slightly awkward in such a strange circumstance. Florence chuckled lightly and bowed once more;

 _You have my thanks again, Madame Kara. Please forgive my earlier intrusion upon your thoughts; it was not my intent to frighten you so. I wished only to express my gladness at being of some assistance to you in this time of distress over the fate of the one you love._

At that, Kara smiled. It was her first real smile since they had arrived in Pastoria, and as it spread across her face, it brought a welcome spark of joy amidst the roiling oceans of doubt and anxiety.

Not knowing quite how to respond, Kara stood, brushed herself off, and tried her best to go with the flow, not unlike the time she'd met Ark Monty back in Eterna. She returned Florence's bow (which seemed to rather surprise the Ralts) and said as calmly as she could,

"I truly appreciate your assistance, Florence. I would ask that, as equals, you simply address me as Kara. I hope to be not so much your owner as your friend. Is that alright with you?"

 _E-equals?_ Florence's voice faltered for the first time, _But Ma – I mean, Lady Kara, that would surely be improper, even insubordinate on my part! You have brought me to your side out of the wilds I once knew, and I am now both honored and obligated to serve you to the extent of my ability!_

"Nape. Infernape fer."

Blaze spoke up now, having watched and understood the scene playing out before him. He, after all, had been there when Azura first used telepathy on Milo, so the reaction was not entirely new to him.

He and Florence had a brief conversation, and whatever the Flame Pokémon said amused his Eevee teammate, but only further confused Kara's Psychic type.

Kara was curious, and asked as politely as she could, "Wait, Florence, what did he say?"

 _Well, Sir Blaze said something to the effect of, 'Insubordinate was when I punched my Trainer in the chest to wake him up'. I, of course, replied that such an action would be the height of dishonor and insurrection, but he assured me that 'humans would rather have friends than servants'. I naturally tried to remind him of the proper order of things, but he would only say, 'Call her Kara. Trust me.'_

At this point, Kara was barely restraining her own giggles at the extreme propriety of her newest team member.

"He's right, Florence. I would dearly love to be your friend, not just your Trainer. Do you think we might manage that? I understand that human ideas can be a bit strange, I don't expect you to adjust immediately, alright?"

 _I – I'm afraid I don't know what to say…K-Kara. I had come to revere the human capacity for emotion, but never had I imagined such tender compassion for Pokémon would be offered to me! I am forever indebted to you for this honor!_

"As I'm indebted to you for helping me through this hard time, Florence. Now, how about we go get that breakfast we were looking for, hmm?"

 _Let's do_ , answered Florence with another bow and a gracious smile, _I seem to be coming over rather faint for want of food._

With her newfound connection to Florence, Kara's mood and outlook improved drastically over the rest of the day. She kept Florence out constantly now, even while she watched over Milo.

Florence was a quick learner, though coming to grips with some aspects of human thought and emotion was difficult at times. Kara was learning too; she was soon able to communicate without verbally responding, as well as separate out which thoughts she did and didn't mean for Florence to hear. It was this mutual learning process that helped, more than anything, to bridge the gap between servitude and friendship that had initially horrified the impressionable Ralts. Florence never quite gave up her overwhelmingly formal style of speech, but then, Kara came quickly to enjoy it.

She found that, in a roundabout way, she could now also communicate with Milo's Pokémon, though the process could be laborious and felt like a game of telephone, with Florence stuck in the middle. Kara could hardly imagine maintaining this type of mental communication with a whole team full of Pokémon at the same time.

 _No wonder Milo is so intimately connected with them all. I guess that means this waiting game is at least as hard for them as it is for me._

Sure enough, as Day Three slipped by into Day Four, none of them could quite put to rest the nagging worry about Milo's condition, no matter how hard they tried. Day Four passed as well, with no sign of change beyond the occasional hope-defying twitch.

On Day Five, Jenks managed to requisition an old TV with enough basic channels to find the Sunyshore Rookie Challenge. Kara, Jenks, Gardenia, and Milo's team huddled in the room together to watch Amaya storm her way through the tournament with her customary swagger. Still, Jenks seemed to see something amiss in their friend's style;

"Hmm…I can tell she's not herself. It's in her face. She's having to try a lot harder to keep her mind sharp in these battles."

"You're right", Gardenia nodded worriedly, "I hope she can hold it together long enough to actually get through this tournament."

"Well, no matter what she does there, it's better than she would have been here."

Kara looked over curiously, "What makes you say that, Jenks?"

The experienced reporter shrugged, "I just think that she would've gone stir crazy here before too much longer. She doesn't have your patience in these kinds of situations. She would've driven herself – and us – crazy looking for something to do."

Unfortunately, the world refused to stop turning entirely while they waited for Milo to improve, and both Jenks and Gardenia had to excuse themselves to attend to some business, leaving only Kara and the unconscious Milo to watch Amaya's semifinal against Nova, along with Milo's team. In an effort to beat back the oppressive silence, Kara narrated the battle to the unconscious Milo as best she could;

"Oh, 'Maya started with Terrus this time instead of Leon…Looks like she's going to beat that Quagsire…She won! Oh, but now she's left Terrus in against a Roserade…"

On and on it went. Whether or not she knew it, the mere presence of Kara's voice filling the quiet with the familiar topic of battling was a huge comfort to Milo's Pokémon team, most of whom were gathered to watch their friends battle in Sunyshore.

"Now Coral's up against a…a…"

 _I do believe that is a Shellos, dear Kara._

"Oh, right, a Shellos. Thanks, Florence. Ah, but the Shellos poisoned her. Still, she knocked it out, but I guess she'll have to switch now, to protect Coral."

"Hmm", answered Milo thoughtfully.

"Yep", Kara continued, "she's pulled out – MILO!"

The whole room exploded with excitement. Sure enough, Milo's face was twitching, and for the first time the machines hooked up to him started beeping more rapidly as his heart rate and vital signs rose back to conscious levels. Kara, Florence, and Milo's team all waited breathlessly.

"Eh…? Whuh….Where…?"

Kara was already crying, and she grasped his hand, replying through her tears,

"Oh, Milo…You're back, you're safe…I can't believe it, I'm so happy! You're in Pastoria now, okay? Everything's alright, everybody's safe."

The overjoyed young Performer fumbled in her bag for a moment before pulling out a Pokéball and releasing Verdante, her Leafeon.

"Verdante, Milo's awake! Can you go find Gardenia or Jenks? Quickly, girl! Go!"

"Ugh", came Milo's voice, scratchy from disuse, "my head…"

Milo's team gathered closely around his bed; those small enough to do so cuddled eagerly up to their revived Trainer. Gardenia had been on the phone in the waiting area just down the hall, so it took the obedient Verdante only seconds to drag her hurriedly back into the room to share in the welcome news.

"What is it, girl? What's going – Milo?"

She was stunned to see the young man smiling, weakly embracing his shiny Umbreon while Aurora the Eevee jumped ecstatically about near the foot of the bed. Pure joy radiated from everyone in the room, human and Pokémon alike.

Amongst those who needed to know, the news spread like wildfire. Jenks was informed as soon as he could be tracked down – he'd headed into town to get a coffee and place some phone calls – and Gardenia at last succeeded in contacting Marcus, who had been completely AWOL since leaving in a rage at the news of Milo's attack.

The Hearthome Leader broke down with joy over the phone at the news of his brother's recovery and promised to be there within 12 hours, though he wouldn't say where he'd been.

Finally, it was Kara who made sure that perhaps the most important phone call of the lot was made;

"Hey, we need to call his parents in Sunyshore! They need to know, and they can tell Amaya, too!"

"Good gracious", Jenks slapped his forehead, "you're absolutely right, I can't believe I hadn't thought of that yet!"

Gardenia was two steps ahead, and was halfway through dialing the number.

"Hello? Zoe? I have the best news! Milo's awake! He's back! We don't really know anything else yet, but I just had to call and tell you the news…Of course, of course, I'll let you go so you can tell everyone there."

As the jubilant pandemonium at last began to calm down, nurses came rushing in to give Milo cautious amounts of food and drink and check him for residual effects of his injuries.

"Can't be too careful", noted one doctor, "especially under these conditions, when the damage was done by a Pokémon move, and a powerful Ghost-type one at that. We don't quite know what leftover effects may show up now that he's awake. We'll keep him here until we're sure he's clear."

 **Amaya**

 _He's awake. He's awake. He's awake…Milo's back. He's back, he woke up. Oh, damn, I feel like I can breathe again. Wow._

After they'd heard the news, Amaya and Milo's family had of course shed their own tears of joy. There was even a cheesy, picturesque group hug (Amaya had participated willingly, though she'd likely never admit it after the fact). Now she lay awake, breathing deeply the sweet air of relief. Over and over she repeated the words that had at last brought peace to her chaotic, tortured mind;

 _Milo woke up. He's going to be alright. Milo's back._

Before too long, her relief and mental exhaustion at last overcame the excitement and adrenaline, and the grateful Twinleaf girl fell asleep.

-o-

When she awoke the next morning, she felt refreshed in every possible way. Gone were the despair, anxiety, exhaustion, and anger of the previous night. After a nice breakfast and some coffee courtesy of Milo's mother, who still couldn't stop smiling and shedding happy tears at random intervals, Amaya was escorted back out to the stadium for the final.

Before she could take up her favorite position – the Trainer's box of a big stadium for a big match – there was the usual pre-match press conference to get through.

Two chairs and two microphones sat in front of the sea of notebooks, pens, and cameras. Amaya took the first, and her opponent, the one and only Damion Parr, threw himself smugly into the second. Just like that, the interview began;

"Damion, Damion! This is the furthest you've ever gotten, how much of a chance to do realistically give yourself against Amaya's team?"

With a smirk, the Veilstone Trainer leaned forward and answered without hesitation;

"I've come a long way since the last time I was in a big match like this. With Milo out of the picture for the time being, I think it's my time to take the big stage and show what I'm capable of."

Amaya's stark and unshakable demeanor flashed into fury in an instant. Unable to contain herself, she spat across the table at him,

"What the hell? You insensitive jerk, he was attacked! He was literally _in a coma_! Show some respect, for crying out loud!"

"Oh whatever", came Damion's retort, "you just worship him like everyone else in Sinnoh. Except me. What's he got that I don't anyway? He doesn't need you; we've all seen his new Performer arm candy from the Floaroma Festival! So someone took a shot at him? That's how it goes; being a Trainer is always risky!"

The reporters were watching with rapt attention, lapping up the boiling tensions between the two finalists. At last, one reporter tried to diffuse the situation before it got out of hand;

"Damion, over here! You've said a few times now that you've reinvented yourself and improved. Could you explain that a bit more? What have you changed?"

Only too happy to expound on his recent successes, Damion answered with no small amount of pride;

"I've gotten a _lot_ tougher since the Hearthome tournament. My team has worked like nobody else on absolute defense, taking enough hits to survive until we can dish it right back. Trying to beat me now is like trying to hammer through a steel wall. It's just not going to happen."

"Amaya", called another voice, "do you think you still have enough firepower to get through a team focused on being able to survive big hits?"

"Hell yes", her voice was cold as ice and hard as diamond, "I'll make his 'steel wall' look like a sheet of paper."

An audible gasp accompanied the furious scribbling of pens on notepads. Sparks were all but literally flying now.

"One last question, please", said one of the tournament staff members. A mad scramble ended in a woman from the Sinnoh Battler Weekly receiving the master microphone and asking,

"Amaya, there were concerns raised by several analysts after yesterday's battling. It was suggested that you were struggling to maintain the mental focus needed to sustain a deep tournament run. Are you relying solely on your team's raw strength at this point?"

It was Amaya's turn to smirk slightly, as she sensed an opportunity to score the last laugh, "I'll admit I sucked yesterday. But I still got here, that's something. I was out of it because I was worried about my _best friend_ being in _mortal danger_. Fortunately, we got word last night that Milo's awake. Now I'm relieved, I'm refreshed, I'm focused up, and I am more than ready to kick the crap out of anyone dense enough to stand in my way."

She all but spat the last part with a pointed glare at her opponent, and she was darkly pleased to see his smug grin falter ever so slightly.

With that, the interview ended and the two Trainers were ushered, oddly, into the same staging room.

"Hey", Amaya called to the staff member as he turned to leave, "doesn't _he_ have to go to a different room?"

"Oh", the man answered uncomfortably, "well, uh, you see… The, um, air conditioning and power are out in the other room. So, you'll have to share for ten minutes until they're ready for you on the field. I'm sorry for any inconvenience…"

"Great", Amaya growled, "just great."

 _Perfect_ , thought Damion, _here's my chance. Alright, be cool, just go with the natural charm. Here goes…_

"So", he began, "that was one hell of a press conference. We played off each other pretty well there."

Amaya, who had been pointedly facing away from him, now whirled to face him with a fury that made him take an involuntary step back;

 _Okay, might have miscalculated this one…_

"Are you freaking kidding me?" Amaya practically screeched in his face.

 _Yeah, alright, she's genuinely pissed. Oh boy._

"Hey", he tried to placate her, "that crap in there was nothing, girl. I was just, you know, playing it up for the media folks, right? We're all cool, yeah?"

"The hell we are! I have _exactly_ two friends outside Twinleaf. You just insulted them _both_ on national television! Screw you. Go stand over there and shut up."

 _Damn_ , he thought in a moment of awe, _she's amazing. Looks like I've got a lot of work to do, though. Still, she'll come around._

"How about this", he tried once more, "let me make it up to you. While Milo's recovering, I'm sure he can't travel; why not travel with me, just for a little while? I'd be a great training opponent and you could get a few more badges while we wait for good old Milo to be back in shape, huh? I think that's a hell of a pl – HNGH!"

He was cut short by an angry fist to the abdomen. His eyes shot wide open and he doubled over in pain, clutching his stomach. It was a good five seconds before he had the strength to look up at Amaya.

SLAP!

Now he was sent spinning off, almost colliding with the wall, trying to hold his midsection and his face at the same time; they both felt like he'd been smashed with a ton of bricks.

 _What….the…..hell?_

He was about to express this sentiment with a few choice words, when a tournament official came to collect them for the battle.

 _Unbelievable_ , Amaya thought to herself. After everything he'd said, he had the gall to try and _hit on her_? She had no remorse for the punch or the slap. They'd both felt damn good. As the staff member came in, he stopped short at seeing Damion doubled over in apparent agony;

"Oh, Mr. Parr, are you alright? Should we delay the fight? Do you need medical attention?"

"Yeah", Amaya loaded her voice full of feigned concern to rub salt in his wounded pride, "I don't know what happened, he just started going off about his headache and how he felt queasy. It might be nerves; he seemed pretty anxious after the media left. We may have to call this off."

"No", Damion glowered at her, his voice low, "I'm fine. Let's battle, you and me. Bring it on."

"Oh", the staff member seemed entirely unsure of himself, "well…I guess if you insist, we'll go on as planned. V-very well, then, follow me.

So then, here they were, on the field at last. Just as she was walking into her Trainer's box, her watch buzzed. She checked it, and saw one simple sentence.

 _Beat him down. –M_

Just like that, it all clicked into place. Her fire was burning, Milo was rooting for her, she was on the biggest stage of her career, and this time – this time it was personal.

"Ladiiiieees and gentlemen! With pride, the city of Sunyshore presents to you this grand final of the Sunyshore Rookie Challenge! Your finalists; Amaya, the Twinleaf prodigy, versus Damion, the Veilstone juggernaut! Battle…BEGIN!"

"Prinplup, get it done!"

"Leon, Thunderbolt."

Amaya's Luxio wasn't waiting around for any kind of formality. He emerged with a mighty Thunderbolt ready to go, and fired instantly.

"Prinplup, MOVE!"

The Penguin Pokémon dove to the side with decent agility, but was still at least grazed by the super effective attack, and cried out. But it didn't go down.

 _Don't be an idiot here_ , Amaya told herself, _remember the rhythm thing._

"Prinplup, shake that off, show me a Drill Peck!"

"Leon, get out of there. Come around with a Spark."

Leon would have loved nothing more than to meet this ridiculous bird with another massive electric attack, but he was a disciplined fighter, and knew better than to doubt his Trainer's plans. He flashed easily to the side, avoiding the Drill Peck before planting his feet to change directions and come around for a Spark to the Prinplup's side.

"Now, Prinplup, Fury Attack!"

Somehow, Damion's starter shrugged off the second electric hit of the battle and came flying at the bewildered Leon in a rage. Leon couldn't get over his surprise, and Prinplup closed the distance between them, clawing, pummeling, pecking and scratching him. He couldn't escape.

"What the…Leon, quick, Thunder Fang! Throw him!"

Prinplup didn't even bother dodging as it took yet another highly damaging hit, landing an extra few whacks on the pained Luxio for his efforts.

"Now, don't let him recover, Leon! Tackle, and Night Slash!"

Amaya was actually slightly concerned; she was used to water types going down after that many big hits from her prized Luxio.

"Stand tall, Prinplup! Bubblebeam!"

Leon's Tackle landed perfectly, but he then took the full force of a well-formed Bubblebeam to the face at point blank range before he could launch his Night Slash.

He pushed himself laboriously off the ground. Both Pokémon were breathing heavily, but ready to continue.

"Another Bubblebeam, Prinplup!"

"Leon, Thunderbolt!"

The two attacks met with a loud bang in the middle of the field. As it was settling, Amaya heard a muffled yell from the other side of the field, and then saw Prinplup come flying out of the dust cloud, Drill Peck at the ready. Leon was once more caught unawares, and before Amaya's eyes her Luxio went down in a heap, unable to continue.

"Luxio is unable to battle, the winner is Prinplup! Amaya, your second Pokémon!"

Damion couldn't resist a taunt;

"I believe the phrase goes something like 'Screw your type advantage, who's next'?"

Amaya was too enraged for words. If looks could kill, though, Damion and everything he'd ever touched would have withered on the spot, so potent was the Twinleaf girl's glare of pure fire.

At last, she controlled herself enough to offer one sentence in return before resuming the battle;

"You'll pay for that one. Coral, I need you."

That was enough to wipe the smirk from Damion's face. His exhausted Prinplup felt the same way, having been felled by the marvelous and brutally strong Milotic several times before.

"Coral, this upstart took out Leon and bragged about it. Show him how we feel."

Coral's bond with Amaya was deeper than deep. With no further prompting, the Tender Pokémon showed no mercy to her opponent, immediately letting off a Twister, through which she fired an Ice Beam and a Hydro Pump in quick succession. Nothing could have prepared the unfortunate Penguin Pokémon or its Trainer for the ferocity of the onslaught, and in less than ten seconds, Prinplup was out for the count.

"P-Prinlup is unable to battle", sputtered the shocked referee, "Milotic is the winner! Damion, your second Pokémon."

"Damn…" Damion grimaced, "but you haven't won yet, babe. Not by a longshot. Staraptor, get it done!"

"Ice Beam", Amaya's command was curt and forceful, as was the ensuing Ice Beam. In the blink of an eye, Staraptor was forced to ground, bits of ice hindering its flight as they clung to the underside of the proud bird's plumage and wings.

"We won't take that lying down, Staraptor! Aerial Ace!"

"Counter with Twister, Coral."

The idea was good, but Coral had nothing close to Staraptor's raw speed. The Predator Pokémon smashed violently into Amaya's first partner, who couldn't produce any defense in time to mitigate the effects.

"Rrrgh…Dragon Tail!"

Amaya had found an opening. Staraptor's big hit had taken it into close proximity, and Dragon Tail was a great way to punish such a careless mistake.

"Quick, Staraptor, Close Combat!"

Amaya's eyes narrowed. Dragon Tail did its work, but only after Coral suffered some big whacks from Damion's Flying type. Fortunately, when Dragon Tail smacked the offending Staraptor away, it tumbled awkwardly in the air for just a second, trying to regain its midair balance.

"Follow that with another Ice Beam!"

Coral was hit, and feeling the effects, but for her human she would shrug off any amount of damage without a second thought. She gave a loud and melodic cry before firing a second Ice Beam directly into the chest feathers of the hapless Staraptor, who was now certainly on its last wings.

On a whim, Damion attempted to change up his tactics;

"Alright, now Double Team!"

"Coral, Water Pulse! Big one!"

Water Pulse was exactly the right thing to do. Amaya's experience against the quick-thinking Milo was serving her very well as she reacted perfectly to Damion's snap transition from shootout to evasion. Water Pulse easily smashed through the copies that Staraptor had just finished producing, and landed heavily on the already weary real bird.

Damion's only fully evolved team member crumpled to the dirt, and he screamed at it from his box;

"Come on, Staraptor! You don't give up! We're not done until I say so! You got this, now get UP!"

Heroically, Staraptor pushed itself off the ground with many a grimace and grunt. Unfortunately for the valiant bird, it turned out to be a symbolic gesture only. Never one to willingly let an opponent back into a fight, Amaya called shortly,

"Coral, finish this."

A third direct Ice Beam was enough to put Staraptor down permanently.

"…Staraptor is unable to battle, Milotic is the winner! Damion, call your third Pokémon!"

The Veilstone Trainer was about to call on his Machoke, but then remembered how Amaya's semifinal opponent, Nova, had managed to deal with Coral. Going with his gut, he made the change;

"Alright, Croagunk, you're in! Make it happen!"

"Hydro Pump, now."

Damion had fallen for the same trick again. Amaya was well past the point of courteously allowing him time to be 'ready', and she took advantage of Croagunk's momentary unpreparedness to land the first hit of the round. Before the Poison type knew what was happening, it smashed into the ground just in front of its Trainer under the force of a fearsome Hydro Pump.

"Damn…Up, Croagunk, now, and give me a Poison Jab!"

"No way I'm letting that happen", Amaya saw his plan in an instant, "ready a Dragon Tail. Ice Beam if he jumps."

"Crap, Coragunk, pull back!"

In the nick of time, Croagunk stopped its attack, and was inches away from Coral's dangerous, sweeping Dragon Tail.

Only now did Damion understand the gaping hole in his big plan to take out Coral; he had no range moves. Only Mud Slap came close, and what was a Mud Slap going to do to this – this insane _thing_ except annoy it?

As he faltered, Amaya pressed the attack;

"Now Twister, Coral."

"Uh, move! Dodge that!"

Damion was still struggling to find an advantage against Coral's powerful range attacks, but Amaya was yet another step ahead. She'd seen her Twister attacks used against her before, and had learned her lesson.

"Hydro Pump through the Twister."

A hugely damaging jet of water burst through the midst of the raging Twister, and Croagunk hit the dirt once more. Never the hardiest of fighters, despite Damion's focus on defense, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon had already had enough, and couldn't pick itself up.

"Croagunk is unable to battle, Milotic is the winner! Damion, call your fourth Pokémon!"

It seemed like the blink of an eye. One minute he'd been ahead by one, having taken out the Luxio that Amaya had favored all day yesterday, but then that damn Milotic had come out and decimated half his team on its own! But wait…

In a surprise move, Amaya called out, "Coral, return."

Many in the stadium or watching on television were shocked. Why would she switch out a Pokémon that was running riot over her opponent's team? Only the most experienced battlers recognized her moment of maturity. While Coral could easily use Recover and continue in relatively good health, she'd just been through three high-level, high-pressure, big moment situations. That kind of exertion was exhausting both physically and mentally. Leaving her in any longer without a rest was simply not worth the risk, no matter what her physical state seemed to be.

And so, she recalled her ace Pokémon, leaving many scratching their heads. Still, those who knew their stuff nodded their heads approvingly. For the first time, it seemed, Amaya was doing what she _should_ do instead of what she _could_ do.

Damion, meanwhile, was absolutely flummoxed. Now he'd have to deal with the rest of her crazy team knowing that she _still_ had that Milotic in her back pocket even if he could manage to turn this around. He had to call something, though, and so he took a deep breath and said,

"Alright, Golbat, you're up! We need something big!"

He'd really wanted to bring in Machoke, but with Amaya free to call whatever she wanted, he had to be wary of her new Gastly.

"Granite", she responded, "let's do this."

Not wanting to take another cheap shot, Damion took the initiative this time;

"Lead with Supersonic! Then get out of the way!"

Golbat's favorite move left Granite disoriented. Still, Amaya was certain she could battle through that, with a Rock type against a Golbat.

"Rock Throw, Granite, just get as close as you can!"

Granite's confusion went further than Amaya had bargained for. All the huge Onix heard was the word 'Rock'. He began flinging rocks everywhere, heedless of direction or target. So addled was Granite that he struck himself more than once with wayward Rock Throws, dealing significant damage, and making Amaya clench her fist in frustration.

She was about to call him back when she noticed that Damion's Golbat was also having problems dodging the unpredictable Rock Throw attacks.

"Whuh", Damion's eyes were wide at the insanity before him, "Erm, Golbat! Golbat, Absorb, while it's out of it!"

Taking one last unlucky hit from a falling rock, Golbat gave an unnerving screech and began absorbing energy from Amaya's Rock Snake for super effective damage.

Granite gave a mighty but pained roar and at last came to his senses.

"Granite, use Iron Tail!"

The massive Rock type channeled his frustration at being taken advantage of into a walloping Iron Tail right in to the Bat Pokémon's midriff. The already ungainly Golbat took more than a moment to right itself, and Amaya once again pressed her opportunity, smelling blood in the water with only three Pokémon between her and victory.

"Now Rock Tomb!"

"No, Golbat! Get out of there!"

Sensing its Trainer's urgency, and not wanting to test the Rock Snake's accuracy, Golbat gave an awkward running leap to escape Rock Tomb, and Damion was ready to launch his counterattack;

"Okay, Leech Life!"

Once again, Granite's health was sucked away by the frustrating Golbat. This was looking more and more favorable for Damion, who was chipping away at Amaya's ferocious battler and simply refusing to be beaten.

 _Geez, this damn thing won't stay down_ , thought Amaya, _time to go big or go home._

"Granite", she called, "make this thing prove it can move. Rock Throw it into the ground."

The command, so coolly delivered, made the proud Onix rear up in excitement, complying with gusto.

"Golbat, quick! Supersonic!"

Damion was hoping to confuse the Rock Snake again, but no luck. Granite was too psyched up about winning this match, too focused on decimating the Bat Pokémon that had managed to torment him so. With improved accuracy this time, rock after rock came flying down viciously at the unfortunate Golbat.

The Poison type was a tough customer, with plenty of stamina and endurance to go around, but Granite simply proved too overwhelming. Golbat went down one last time, and didn't get back up.

"Golbat is unable to battle, Onix is the winner! Damion, call your fifth Pokémon!"

Now, given Amaya's standoffish nature, and the fact that Granite was literally a big, violent rock, the two didn't often share deep, heartfelt connection moments. However, in the split second before Damion called upon his penultimate fighter, some sense of understanding passed between Trainer and Rock Snake.

Amaya was about to recall the powerful Rock type, knowing that after the wear and tear from Golbat he couldn't expect to win another round. But then, Granite looked back at her with a glint in his eye, and somehow she just…. _knew_ what he wanted.

Granite knew he would go down if he stayed in. He also knew that if he was called back he'd be done for the rest of the battle. After working so hard and putting in so much work already, his stony blood was pumping and he wanted nothing more than to go down fighting. He would rather fight and lose than not fight at all.

 _Okay_ , thought Amaya with an odd sense of calm, _I can respect that, Granite._

She gave him the smallest nod to show her understanding, and the hulking Onix turned back to the battlefield with a massive roar, both of approval and of challenge. He would give every inch of effort he could muster for the sake of his team. At last, the moment ended, and Damion called from across the field;

"Machoke, take this thing out!"

Amaya narrowed her eyes; Granite's kamikaze play just got a whole lot more difficult. A fighting type like Machoke could make quick work of an Onix without taking significant damage.

"Okay, Rock Polish."

Granite coated himself in a sheen that improved his speed greatly, and Damion took the opening as a chance to close out the round quickly;

"Low Kick!"

Machoke sprinted across the field, but Amaya only smirked.

 _Rookie move, Damion_ , she thought as she sprung the trap;

"Hah! Iron Tail, and snipe it with a Rock Throw!"

Machoke's 'sprint' was unimpressive already, and with Granite's now-improved speed, he had plenty of time to pour a whole load of power into an Iron Tail that caught Damion's fighting type the same way it had done to the Golbat in the last round. This time, as Mcahoke went flying painfully through the air, Granite brought a well-timed boulder crashing down on the Superpower Pokémon in mid-flight.

Livid, Damion screamed aloud, "Get the hell up! Focus Blast!"

At last, all of his endurance training came into play as Machoke clambered back to his feet and launched a powerful Focus Blast that left Granite reeling.

"NOW give it a Low Kick! Before it can recover!"

Unfortunately, two could play that game. Granite had plenty of defensive power to go around as well, and Amaya countered Damion's strategy yet again;

"Rock Tomb, then Slam!"

Machoke was still not fast enough to get the jump on the Rock Polished Granite, who buried his opponent under a series of punishing boulders before throwing his stony girth down hard upon the pile, leaving Machoke reeling from the quickly mounting damage. Still, the Slam had left Amaya's Rock Snake vulnerable, and Damion was quick enough on the draw to take advantage.

As Machoke once more pushed itself upright, he called confidently;

"Karate Chop! Don't let up!"

Granite couldn't get out of the way fast enough, and after two solid chops, he was down for good. Amaya's heart fluttered, but she closed her eyes and reminded herself;

 _That's what Granite wanted. I still have Coral if things go really bad, and he's only got one more in reserve after this Machoke. I just need to finish this out._

"Onix is unable to battle, Machoke is the winner! Amaya, call your next Pokémon!"

With a dark grin, Amaya answered easily; "Hmph, no-brainer. Spirielle, you're in."

The Gastly appeared with an eerie cackle and began zooming about her side of the field. Damion was only just realizing how badly prepared he was to counter his Pokémon's weaknesses. He thought of recalling Machoke, but it was too late. Amaya was already off and running.

"Show me Sludge Bomb and Shadow Ball."

Spirielle simply vanished, and reappeared behind the baffled Machoke with a Sludge Bomb that left the fighting type staggering, and covered in toxic slime, which quickly began to take effect. It tried uselessly to chop at the Ghost, who only laughed at its pitiful efforts before pulverizing it with a direct Shadow Ball to the face.

These two big hits, combined with the huge damage Granite had dealt, finally brought the admittedly impressive Machoke to its knees before it at last fell unconscious.

"Ah…Machoke is unable to battle, Gastly is the winner! Damion, call your last Pokémon!"

Grimacing, Damion complied with a subdued tone.

"Graveler, you're up last. Let's go."

"Spirielle", answered Amaya, "that was good, now return. Terrus, wrap this thing up!"

Amaya couldn't let this final go by without letting her loyal Grass starter have some say in it. Besides, Spirielle was still too whimsical to be relied upon as a closer in a big match like this. Considering Terrus' type advantage and his experience with Amaya, he was the only choice here.

However, instead of returning, Spirielle began to glow brightly, and before anyone could register what was happening, a newly evolved Haunter materialized on the field, sending the crowd into raptures of applause and cheering. Amaya hesitated at this new development, but still called her new Haunter back for Terrus.

 _Cool, but I'll deal with that later. This isn't the time to throw caution to the winds; not when I'm so close…_

So, it was the Twinleaf Trainer's trusty Grotle who took the field to face off against Damion's Graveler, his last stand in this final of the Sunyshore Rookie Challenge.

Satisfied that both Trainers were done making changes, the referee waved the flag with a dramatic flair to restart the match;

"Battle begin!"

"Energy Ball, Terrus! Don't give him a chance!"

"Magnitude!"

Terrus could only get in two accurate Energy Ball attacks before he had to hunker down and endure the painfully large Magnitude that left even him breathing heavily. Fortunately, Amaya had just the thing to make up for the damage;

"He's recovering, Terrus, use Giga Drain."

With a roar, the indomitable Grotle began aggressively siphoning as much energy as he could from the reeling Graveler, who cried out in pain, but remained standing.

"Enough fighting from back here; Graveler, use Rollout!"

Damion's idea was spot on; Graveler couldn't come close to competing with Terrus at range. But Amaya's bag of tricks wasn't empty just yet;

"Hah! Too easy, Grass Knot!"

Yet another super effective hit sent Graveler sprawling across the dirt field. Amaya, always one for the big finishing move, called to Terrus,

"We've got him now! Charge up!"

Terrus roared and began taking in as much light as he could, preparing a Solarbeam as Graveler got slowly to its feet.

"NO!" Damion practically shrieked, "Graveler, Double Edge!"

Amaya had once again underestimated Damion's ability to recover from big hits, and Terrus took a walloping hit from Double Edge that left both Pokémon in bad shape.

 _Damn, I screwed up again…Okay, no more fancy stuff, just win. It's still a Rock type._

"Alright, we'll keep it simple, Terrus, Razor Leaf!"

Razor Leaf somehow still wasn't enough to bring down the tenacious Rock Pokémon, and it launched another Rollout that struck Granite once, and was swinging around for another hit, when Amaya switched tactics one last time.

"Stand your ground, Terrus! I need the biggest Energy Ball you can give me!"

As the two attacks collided, a massive boom reverberated around the stadium. It took several seconds for the dust to settle, but when it did, Graveler was not getting up. Terrus roared in victory, and the referee made the call;

"Graveler is unable to battle, Grotle wins! The match goes to Amaya of Twinleaf Town!"

As the crowd screamed their approval to the heavens, Amaya and Damion met in the middle, sparks still flying between the two. They shared the briefest and most unfriendly handshake possible, and Damion quickly took his leave of the scene of his most public defeat to date.

Amaya stayed put to receive her trophy and medal, and acknowledge the massive crowd one last time, but soon it was time for her to head out as well. As she exited the stadium, one reporter managed to elicit a response from her;

"Amaya! Amaya, can I get a brief reaction on your first tournament win? What's your feeling?"

The small Twinleaf girl stopped short and replied, "You want a reaction? How about this; the hammer just smashed the wall."

With that, she turned on her heel and was gone, heading to Milo's father's car with a huge feeling of relief and satisfaction.

 **Milo**

"Yes! Haha, there's the 'Maya we all love! Way to stick it to that jerk!"

Still in bed, Milo had relished the whole battle between his best friend and bitter rival. He was feeling much improved, and was quickly regaining his strength.

"Yeah, that was great. I'm glad for her."

Kara was oddly blank. Milo's smile faltered and he looked over at the young Performer.

"Hey…is everything okay?"

"Yeah, yeah…I guess so…"

Genuinely puzzled, Milo reached out and grabbed her hand, which made Kara flinch slightly.

"I…I'm sorry, Milo", she tried to explain herself, "I just…I feel – I don't even know. Bad? Kind of disgusting?"

"Wait, what? Kara, why would you – oh…is it, umm, is it what Damion said? Before the battle?"

Kara only nodded, and Milo gave her hand an extra squeeze for comfort. They'd both been absolutely infuriated by Damion's brash pre-match comments about them, and Kara seemed to have taken them rather harshly.

 _After all_ , he reasoned, _I guess being called 'arm candy' on live national television would make anyone feel grossly objectified… Geez, I hate that Damion guy. Still, right now Kara's more important._

"Hey. Kara."

The Floaroma girl looked over at him, and he said as sincerely as he could;

"I guess this is as good a time as any to get something off my chest. No, Aurora, I'm not talking about you, you can stay; that was a metaphor. Anyway, Kara"

Milo paused and took a breath;

 _You started it,_ he told himself, _now you have to follow through. Just say it, Milo. Come on, she needs you…and you need her._

"Kara, I really like you. Not just the way you look or whatever; I love your positivity, your dedication to your friends and your Pokémon, the way you smile and laugh, and the sincerity of your friendship. I've really enjoyed travelling with you, and…I want to ask you t-to – I want to know i-if…uh, will you go out with me?"

He'd started out quite strongly, but his voice trailed off as he almost lost his nerve. Still, the words had been spoken; they were out there now.

Aurora, Azura, and Ferra were all there (Blaze and Drake had gone off to train) and all three of them went instantly delirious with delight at their Trainer's words. All eyes in the room were on Kara, as tears formed in her stunning blue eyes.

"Milo", her voice was barely more than a choked whisper, "Milo, do…you mean that?"

"O-of course I do! I really like you Kara, and I w-want to go out with you. Erm, please?"

Kara's heart was all aflutter, but she had to ask one last question;

"You're not just saying that to make up for what Damion said about me? About us?"

From his hospital bed, Milo took a deep breath and looked the young woman directly in the eye with a fiercely confident smile;

"Kara, I have wanted to ask you out since _at least_ the Festival in Floaroma. I really, truly, love being around you. What Damion said about you was totally unwarranted and disgusting, and he has nothing to do with this; I want to go out with you. Please, please say yes?"

For one brief moment there was silence, as Kara processed his heartfelt words.

"Y-yes! Yes, of course, Milo! Of course I'll go out with you! Oh, thank you, _thank you!_ "

The two shared a meaningful embrace – or at least they tried to. It was slightly awkward, since Milo was still confined to a hospital bed. Still, Milo's team more than made up for it; Aurora and Ferra jumped all over Kara, thrilled beyond belief. Azura hopped gracefully onto Milo's bed and settled herself proudly in the crook of her Trainer's arm.

 _I'm proud of you for that_ , commented the Umbreon.

 _Why thank you_ , he responded contentedly, _I thought it went well, all things considered._

 _Seriously, Milo. It was the right thing for you both, and she really needed it. The 'arm candy' comment really cut her deeply, I think._

-o-

With everything that had happened, the days began to fly by. Before too long, Marcus was joyfully reunited with his younger brother (and his girlfriend) and Amaya returned to Pastoria triumphantly, trophy in tow. Everyone was delighted to hear that Milo had officially asked Kara out, and the phrase 'I told you so' was used repeatedly.

Milo's recovery progressed quite nicely, and within three days of waking up, he was allowed to resume training with his team. He spent the whole day gleefully working with each of his Pokémon, who were beyond thrilled to have him back. Blaze's new power was downright astonishing, not to mention his speed, which was through the roof.

It was that evening that something truly delightful took place; Milo and Kara's first date. They were, of course, given no end of trouble and jokes by their friends, but the time had come.

Milo didn't exactly have any 'fancy' clothes, but he thoroughly washed his favorite travel outfit, packed a nice picnic dinner, and presented himself anxiously and awkwardly outside Kara's room at the Pokémon Center at precisely 5:57pm (they'd agreed on 6 o'clock, and he made sure to arrive early out of courtesy).

Kara, naturally, looked like some kind of angel descended from goodness knows where. She had chosen a flowing, long sleeveless white blouse over a layered, navy blue skirt that reached modestly past her knees. Still, the most breathtaking part, for Milo at least, was her radiant smile.

"Umm, Milo? Are…we going?"

Oops. He'd been caught staring again.

"Going? Oh! Oh, uh, yeah! Yeah, let's head out."

Arm in arm, the two proceeded out the East gate of the city, talking amicably, laughing back and forth about anything and everything. So much so, in fact, that neither of them heard the distant rumble coming from the dark clouds gathering in the east.

For an hour, their first date was simply divine. They shared a marvelous sunset alone on a pristine beach over a lovely meal…and then the first raindrop struck. They had just finished eating and were quietly admiring the beauty of the moment; Milo's arm rested easily across Kara's shoulders as her head rested gently on him…

"Huh? Hey, Kara, did you feel something just now?"

"Umm, no? Feel what?"

"I…I hate to say it, but I think that was a raindrop."

Kara took a nervous look up at the sky and said,

"Oh, hey, now that you say it, it really does look kind of menacing up there. I hadn't noticed the clouds roll in, I guess. Hey, yeah, now I feel the rain starting!"

Milo's mood was shattered in an instant; "Aww, come _on_! Of course it starts raining! Seriously, that sucks."

"Hey", Kara tried to ease his frustration, "Milo, it's fine, we'll just go back. I had a great time, alright?"

"Yeah, cool", Milo's head was down, and his demeanor anything but cool as he began jamming everything they had brought back into the picnic basket. Better still, the rain began to pick up, and within seconds the young couple were soaked through.

As they walked hurriedly back, Milo scowled and scuffed his feet. He'd spent days recovering, not to mention all his hoping and planning since Veilstone, just for his first real date to be turned into a soggy, stormy mess.

"Milo, stop."

Kara planted her feet in the sand and her hands on her hips and demanded his attention.

"Huh? Kara, come on, we're getting wetter by the second, let's just go back. We'll have to try again soon."

"No. Don't act like a little rain is going to spoil this for us, Milo. I still had an amazing time, and I'm happier now than I can ever remember being. So stop moping and complaining, because this was still everything I could've asked for from a first date. Milo, just…just come here."

With that, Kara stepped forward, grabbed a fistful of Milo's shirt, and planted her lips firmly on his. Milo's brain short-circuited on the spot. For one blissful moment, nothing else in the world existed but Kara. For the young man from Jubilife, it was a moment of unbridled paradise that lasted for an eternity.

But then, as quickly as it had come, the moment ended. Kara stepped back, just as breathless and overwhelmed as the recipient of her attack kiss. The two of them stared at one another in wonder, oblivious to the rain that was now an out and out downpour all around them.

"Umm…feeling better now, Milo?"

Kara was rather taken aback by her own forwardness, and was now blushing furiously.

"Y-yeah…yeah, uh, a lot better, actually…"

Unbidden, a smile slowly forced its way across his face, and he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around his new…girlfriend.

 _That sounds so weird,_ thought Milo briefly, _but…I'm okay with it. In fact, I don't think I would swap this for anything._

This time, their lips met much more delicately and romantically. Milo and Kara shared the moment every young couple dreams of but only sees in romance movies. They stood there in the rain, holding tightly onto one another, for another minute or two before Kara said softly;

"There. Now we can go back."

 **Author's Notes:**

 **To those who reviewed, thank you ever so much!**

 **This chapter to me felt like an exercise in pacing. I was really trying to give everything the treatment it deserved while still keeping things moving. Hopefully the themes and character complexity that were lacking have started to peek their way in. I promise that will continue to grow as we move forward. Also, this chapter was my proudest, and maybe most difficult, attempt yet at Romance. I believe in setting the scene and letting the reader imagine the rest, not writing out every miniscule, cheesy detail. That said, I'd love to hear reader thoughts on the date scene, as Romance is far from my strong suit!**

 **In general, we're approaching the point(s) where this story most strongly deviates from the 'traditional' Sinnoh journey structure. If you're enjoying this, I invite you once again to follow/favorite to keep up with Milo and the crew (and me). As usual, any and all reviews, be they complements or constructive criticisms, are welcome and encouraged. Thank you, sincerely, for reading my work. Cheers, my fellow Trainers.**

 **I don't own Pokémon.**

 **Zencolour: Glad you're enjoying Amaya's evolution, thank you for the support! I hope you like this battle as much as the others! I'm hopeful that those 'darker' touches to the story give it more depth without detracting from the core tone of the story as a whole.**

 **Mystery Human: Ah, my friend the anonymous guest. A pleasure as always.** **It was good to have input on the POV changes, I've definitely tried to take that into account. I'm also actively pursuing ways to (naturally) flesh out Kara's personality and Amaya's relationship with her team. Thanks as always for the very well-thought-out review!**


	18. Chapter 18 - Low Tide

Milo Chapter 18 – Low Tide

" _Attack, my glorious Dusknoir! Show your might!"_

"NOOOO!"

A desperate lunge. A huge impact. Pain. The feeling of soaring through the air….

"Gah!"

Milo sat up, breathing heavily, sweating in his bed at the Pastoria Pokémon Center. The same dream, the memory of that night. Every night since he'd come out of his coma that vivid nightmare had haunted him. He checked the clock on the dresser; it was just after six in the morning. Knowing he'd never be able to fall back to sleep, he rubbed his face and got up quietly.

As hard as he tried, he couldn't keep from rousing his Pokémon, who were all strewn about the room, sleeping however they felt most comfortable. The first to poke their heads up were Azura and Aurora, curled in a ball together in the sheets at the foot of Milo's bed.

 _You're up early again_ , noted Azura as she stretched, _same dream?_

 _I…yeah. Same dream. Sorry, you can go back to sleep, don't mind me._

The shiny Umbreon leapt down to rub against his legs, and answered with a soft purr;

 _Nonsense. You know I'd never let you go off by yourself. Not like this._

He sighed resignedly, but leaned down with a smile to rub her head nonetheless.

 _Thanks._

The rest of his team were now beginning to shake themselves awake, so he addressed them;

"Morning, guys. Sorry to get you all up early, again. How does training at the beach sound for today?"

Training was the magic word. Milo's Pokémon all shared one thing in common; all of them would jump at any chance to grow stronger, both individually and together. They all eagerly agreed, and within the hour they had relocated to the southern shores just outside Pastoria. There at the beach, the difference in Milo's attitude since the attack became most apparent.

"Come on guys, keep up!"

It had been almost an hour since they started now, and his lungs felt ready to burst. He'd never pushed himself or his team this hard before. He looked back to see his two youngest team members struggling.

"Aurora, Ferra, pick it up! I know you can do this! Let's go guys, this isn't a game anymore!"

With a resolve that inspired him, the Eevee and Riolu simultaneously put their heads down and, panting, forced themselves forward to rejoin the main group.

As they made a wide loop to come dashing back the way they'd come, not a one of them complained. All of them were terribly exhausted, but nobody questioned this new, harsher training.

 **Flashback**

Two days previously, on the morning after Milo and Kara's rainy first date, the young Jubilife Trainer had assembled his team for a very official 'team meeting'.

"Okay guys. Aurora, I need you to sit and listen now, okay? Thank you. Alright. So, I'm asking you guys this, not telling you, because we're a team here, all together."

 _Yeah, yeah, we know that part_ , Drake cut in, eager for the news, _Cut to the chase, huh?_

Milo chuckled, "Okay, Drake, just for you. Here it is: I want to jack up the intensity of our training regimen. Like, a _lot_. I've been thinking hard about this. It's bigger than just winning badges and proving ourselves in competitions now; we have to be able to protect our friends. I almost couldn't keep Kara safe when that Primal ambushed us. We almost weren't strong enough, as a team, to protect one another. Next time we might not be so lucky. What do you guys think?"

They were quiet for a moment as Milo waited patiently for their thoughts, and the Pokémon took their time gathering said thoughts together. Drake spoke up first.

 _I'm all for more training. The harder I push myself the sooner I'll be Garchomp. Nobody, and I mean Nobody, messes with a Garchomp or anyone under its protection. I'm all in._

Surprisingly, it was Aurora who next voiced an unusually mature opinion, _Me too. I love us – all of us. Our team, 'Maya and Kara, and their teams, too. I was so super scared when Milo wouldn't wake up, and…it made me want to be stronger, too. So nobody can scare me like that ever again. I'm ready to work to be strong._

 _I'll work to be strong, too, Roro_ , came little Ferra's voice. _My daddy's spirit told me he was proud of me, and how I was growing. I'll train hard and help protect my friends and my Papa and keep making him proud._

Milo didn't trust himself to speak, so moved was he at their commitment. He looked silently at Blaze and Azura. His two first Pokémon looked at one another and smiled before Milo's Fire starter answered for them both;

 _Milo, we've been with you since the beginning. You know we'd do anything for you, for the family we've built together. To protect our own – hell yeah, we're in. Let's train like there's no tomorrow._

 **End Flashback**

It had been a unanimous decision that the team had wasted no time putting into practice. Their runs were faster and longer. Their fights were no longer academic and experimental; now their training bouts were conducted at real battle pace and with full effort at all times.

Currently, Blaze and Aurora were fighting Drake and Ferra. Milo was sparring with Azura, working on his Dark Aura abilities. The Trainer leapt over a Shadow Ball, already firing a Dark Aura Sphere down at Azura. Rather than dodge, she retaliated with a Quick Attack-powered jump that smashed into Milo's abdomen. Without bothering to get up, he rolled over and fired a one-handed Dark Beam at the Moonlight Pokémon, who was hit by the unexpected counterattack.

This gave Milo the opportunity to scramble back to his feet, just in time to dive to the side to avoid Azura's Tackle. Before either of them could come up with another attack, they were all blown back by a wave of intense heat from the neighboring battle.

"Whoa", Milo picked himself out of the sand, "what was – Blaze?"

 _Yep_ , answered the Flame Pokémon with pride, _that was me._

"I think that was Heat Wave, bud. Very nice!"

 _Whatever it was_ , grunted Drake, who had received the brunt of Blaze's new move, _it hurt like all hell. That'll come in handy for sure._

 _HEY, STOP!_

Azura yelled both mentally and aloud as she sprinted back towards their stuff, which they had left in a pile to the side. Milo whirled to see a small Pokémon making off with as much of their snacks as it could carry. Milo's Umbreon fired off a quick Shadow Ball, but the thief skillfully sidestepped it and kept running.

 _Hmph, allow me_ , Blaze stepped in. With his improved speed, he was quickly able to outstrip the thieving Pokémon and confront it. It looked like a Buizel, and Blaze cocked his head quizzically,

 _Don't I recognize you from somewhere, thief?_

The Buizel looked Blaze coolly up and down, set aside its armful of stolen goods, and settled into a battle crouch, showing no fear in the face of its larger, faster opponent.

Not giving the Buizel time to settle in too much, Milo's Infernape launched a Mach Punch – Low Kick combo that leveled the Sea Weasel Pokémon. The rest of the team began moving as if to join their fiery compatriot, but Milo held them back, saying;

"Hold up guys, Blaze is right; this thing does look oddly familiar. Is that…the Buizel that beat Blaze in Hearthome?"

As Milo spoke, the two had been circling one another, each trying to look scarier than the other. The Buizel was having a hard time with this, trying to crane its neck to stare up at Blaze and still keep one eye on its stolen prize. As the rest of the team watched apprehensively, the Buizel circled back around to its pilfered stash. All of a sudden, it stooped and grabbed the food, firing a Water Gun to buy itself a split second before using Aqua Jet to sprint off with at least half of their supplies.

Instinct took over, and Milo grabbed an empty Pokéball as he sprinted after the small culprit, his team following close behind.

 _Woohoo!_ Aurora cheered as they ran, _Let's catch that sneaky bastard!_

 _Whoa!_ Milo turned to glance sharply at her over his shoulder as they ran after the speedy Buizel, _Watch your mouth there. I don't want to hear you saying that. Where'd you hear that?_

 _Umm, Drake…_

Milo's Gabite roared in protest from off to his right, angry at having been tossed under the proverbial bus, _That's not fair, I'm not the only one who-_

 _Stow it_ , Milo cut him off, _We'll talk about this later, Aurora, but we WILL talk about it._

Focusing his attention on the still-retreating Sea Weasel, he instructed his team,

"Fan out, guys. Aurora and Ferra with me, Azura circle left. Drake, I want you around the right. Blaze, follow Drake but keep going, try and cut him off directly. Okay, go!"

His team split off as ordered, but their target was just as clever. It glanced back as they dispersed, and without hesitation the Buizel threw on the brakes, and most of Milo's Pokémon sprinted straight past it, unable to react in time to catch it. Fortunately, Milo had hung back to keep the thing contained, so he was able to twist and lay out like some kind of athlete, making a diving grab at the Buizel's paws as they pounded the ground.

He just felt his fingers catch on its front leg and heard the crash as the Water type tripped and slid through the dirt. Scrambling to his feet, Milo grabbed at the empty Pokéball and hurled it at the Buizel before it could recover. Too late did Milo realize he'd jumped the gun. The slippery Sea Weasel leapt up easily in time to dodge the offending sphere.

As Milo's Pokémon caught up to them, Blaze moved forward and said confidently;

 _Heh. I got this one, step aside._

"Hold it", Milo stopped him and stepped forward himself, "I'll take this thing myself. Listen here, thief!"

The Buizel's smug look turned to one of confusion. He hadn't expected to face off against a human. Milo continued,

"I'm going to show you that we're something different from other teams. I can only presume that Nova released you for some reason, but on my team we stick up for one another. No matter what. Blaze may be the one you beat back then, but I'm the one who's going to pay you back for it."

"Bui! Bui bui!"

Whatever the Water type had retorted clearly offended Milo's team. As one they snarled and made to step forward. In the end it was Azura who barked at her teammates out loud;

"Bree! Br-r-r-eee!" After convincing them to let her speak for them all, she stepped up directly beside Milo and, glaring daggers at the Sea Weasel, spoke her piece;

"Bree bree! Bree breeoooon! Br-r-r-r-ee!"

The Buizel was unaffected by Azura's no doubt stunning defense of Milo as a Trainer, and launched an impromptu Water Gun. To his shock, the crazy human who had challenged him blocked it directly with some kind of Dark sphere attack!

"That's right", said Milo, "I can fight, too. Not so helpless now, am I? Come on, let's throw down, you little burglar."

Azura stepped back, and Milo began predatorily circling the Buizel, who responded in kind. All of a sudden, the thieving Pokémon launched forward in an Aqua Jet for which Milo was unprepared. He just managed to fire a Dark Aura Sphere in response, but it only dulled the impact slightly.

Milo's team were all cheering him on, but Drake's advice was actually helpful;

 _SIZE, Milo! You've got size on him, use it!_

Before the Buizel could stand back up, Milo threw himself sideways, landing on top of his opponent with one knee. He took a Water Gun directly to the face as the Sea Weasel thrashed and squirmed, but Milo held on for dear life, until at last the angry thief ran out of ideas. Huffing and puffing, it could only lay beneath Milo's knee and snarl up at him.

With a victorious grin, Milo called out behind him, not taking his eyes off the troublesome food burglar,

"Somebody bring me that ball. This guy's joining the team!"

He heard a scramble, and in a few seconds, Ferra emerged at his side, cradling the empty Pokéball almost reverently in her two small paws.

Milo held the ball above the Buizel and said,

"I can teach you to be stronger, faster, and smarter. You have potential, and I can make sure you realize it. This team is headed for the top and I want you on it. Come with us, Buizel."

With that he pressed the button, and Buizel was sucked in. The moment of truth…

The ball shook once, violently…

Another shake, still quite vigorous…

A third wiggle, but now the ball was definitely calming down…

 _PING!_

"YES! That's it, we got him!"

Milo pumped a victorious fist in the air and picked up the ball that now contained his sixth team member.

"We're a full team now, you guys!"

Still breathing heavily, from the excitement as well as the fight, Milo and his team walked back towards their stuff at the beach. As they approached, Milo was mentally bombarded by a new voice in his mind;

 _So THIS is where you've been! My goodness gracious, Sir Milo, milady Kara has been absolutely beside herself with concern for your wellbeing! Milady! Lady Kara! This way!_

Florence the Ralts hailed her Trainer, and Kara came running;

"Oh, Milo! Where the heck were you? We came out here to watch you and to train a bit, and you were just gone!"

The ruffled Performer threw herself into her rather bewildered boyfriend's arms;

"I, uh, I'm sorry?" Milo didn't quite know how to respond, "I didn't mean to disappear, I was just chasing after this Buizel that stole our food…"

Drake, meanwhile, stomped his way up to Florence;

 _What's with the weird talk, Flo? Can't you just speak? You know, like normal?_

The prim little Feeling Pokémon huffed at this, putting her small hands on what must have been her hips;

 _How very uncouth! I would ask that you refrain from making such comments at my expense in the future, good Sir Drake._

Aurora bounded up between them and, as usual, threw out her own unsolicited opinion;

 _I like when she talks! It sounds all fancy and weird!_

While the Pokémon had this little discussion, Milo had hurriedly and excitedly explained himself to Kara, and was now eager to meet his sixth team member.

"Alright", he smiled, his eyes alight with the pure excitement of being a Trainer, "let's meet him! Come on out, Buizel!"

A bright flash revealed Milo's newest Pokémon, and all present fell into a hush, Buizel included. After a moment's silence, the Sea Weasel barked;

"Bui! Bui bui, bui!"

Milo raised an eyebrow, as Aurora sprang forward with a cheery grin towards her new teammate;

 _Yay! I'm so glad we get to be friends!_

With a confused glance, Buizel began frantically dodging the rambunctious Eevee, who chased gleefully after him. The rest of the Pokémon all seemed to relax a bit, and Azura did her Trainer the favor of translating;

 _He says he's okay with this, as long as you fulfill your promise._

"Perfect", grinned Milo, "that's the kind of ambition I like to see. Hey! Hey, Buizel!"

Milo had to join the one-sided game of chase long enough to convince Aurora to calm down before he could ask;

"Buizel, do you have a name? You know, a name besides Buizel?"

"Bui? Bui bui…"

Azura, who had followed them over, anticipating the need for further translation, cut Buizel's response short, and the two had a short discussion, which Milo assumed involved his Umbreon introducing the concept of mental communication. Sure enough, she looked back at Milo and nodded after a few seconds.

A look of both concentration and suspicion formed on Buizel's face as he faced his new Trainer. Milo nodded in what he hoped was a reassuring way before taking a breath and reaching out with his mind.

 _…Hey there, Buizel. It's me. Milo._

 _Hoooollyyyyyy…What the hell kind of creepy power IS this?_

 _Uh, do you want the long or the short version?_

 _You know what, I'm not sure I want to know right now. My mind is already blown._

Milo laughed aloud before asking again;

"Ha! Fair enough. So, do Buizel have names besides Buizel?"

 _Uh, not really. At least not in my family. And Nova never went for that kind of thing, either. I guess I'm just Buizel._

Milo offered his new Water type some of the food he'd tried to steal as he responded;

"Alright. Well, I am a fan of names. I already know what your favorite move is, so why don't we go with that? I'll call you Jet. Sound good?"

Looking up from the berries he was already plowing through, Jet thought for a minute before letting a fierce smirk spread over his features;

 _Jet, huh? I like it. It really does suit me._

Milo's brain was already whirring with possibilities…the surprise addition of Jet could produce immediate results if the Buizel proved strong and fast enough to be relied upon for the impending fight against Wake…

The Jubilife Trainer needed time to process this new development, so he decided to give Jet a metaphorical 'baptism by fire';

"Alright guys. You all know how we've been training for the past few days. I want you to give Jet an introduction to our drills and the way we do things on this team. Don't go easy on him! Alright? Go on, then…"

-o-

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Pastoria Gym for today's battle between our fearless Leader, the mighty Crasher Wake, and the upstart rookie from Twinleaf….AMAYA!"

Seated in the stands, Milo felt his head was still spinning from the whirlwind of the past few days – in fact, it had already been close to a week since he caught Jet on the beach. All three young people had kicked their training into overdrive in preparation for the challenges to come; Milo and Amaya knew they were about to face the toughest Gym Challenge of their career to date. Kara was manically planning and rehearsing for the next Showcase in Hearthome.

The announcer continued hyping up Wake and not-so-subtly casting doubt over Amaya's chances in the match as Milo took a deep breath. The confidence of the people of Pastoria in Wake's ability was far from unfounded. It was common knowledge that while the first three Leaders in the Sinnoh circuit were no joke, Wake was the first one who really twisted the screws on challengers. Roark, Gardenia, and Maylene had a combine average win percentage of 66%. Wake won no less than 85% of challenges to his badge. From the seat next to him, Kara nervously took hold of Milo's arm;

"You guys have a plan, right? You're going to win?"

"You better believe it", answered Milo with much more confidence than he was feeling inside, "You know us; we always a plan to win."

"I – I know… It's just that Wake is such a big deal, he's the halfway mark. I've seen how much this means to you both – you know, after everything that's happened since we got here – and I'm just scared that something is going to ruin all your hard work."

Warmth spread through Milo, and he smiled genuinely,

"Kara, this is one of those things I love about you. You're not even the one battling, but you're worried for us because you care for your friends so intensely. Thanks, Kay."

The Trainer withdrew his arm carefully, only to wrap it reassuringly about the shoulders of the now-blushing Kara. At last, the battle seemed ready to begin. There were at least a few hundred Pastorians as well as a couple of local news crews hankering for the match to kick off as the announcer finally called out;

"Let the match between Wake the fearsome Leader and Amaya the challenger…BEGIN!"

Wake was slowly but surely aging, but had not as of yet lost his unique flair;

"AHAHA! Let's put on a show! Gyarados, on the water!"

"Spirielle, just like we planned. Let's do this."

Kara turned immediately to Milo with a questioning look;

"Why Spirielle when Gyarados has a double weakness to Leon?"

Milo answered quickly without taking his eyes off of the battlefield, where Amaya's Haunter was making Gyarados' attacks hit nothing but thin air;

"Leon's probably her failsafe. Plus, Wake's got a huge size advantage over Leon with Gyarados, especially when most of the field is water. Not even his Electric typing could overcome that. Wake might even have planned that on purpose, he's probably scouted her – our – Pokémon in advance."

"Hmm…That's like something you would do. Go 'Maya! Take him down!"

On the field, the Twinleaf Trainer wore her customary smirk, saying virtually nothing as Gyarados failed to get anywhere close to her Haunter. Spirielle was just too fast for the Atrocious Pokémon, which only served to enrage Wake's proud beast. After another couple of attacks, Amaya seemed to decide the game of hide-and-seek had gone on long enough;

"Our turn, Spirielle. Lick."

Vanishing once more, Spirielle reappeared in front of Gyarados, sticking her tongue out and making a rather rude and disrespectful face. Gyarados fell for the provocation and fired yet another unbidden Dragon Rage at Spirielle, only to find she had already disappeared.

Before the Water-Flying type could react, Spirielle was behind him with a paralyzing Lick that left him with crippling spasms.

"Hmm, that's smart", noted Milo, "she manipulated his size advantage and turned him into a sitting Psyduck. Now she'll go full Amaya on him, I bet."

Sure enough, once she was sure that the Lick had succeeded, Amaya called out rapid fire attacks;

"Lay it on, girl, no mercy! Shadow Ball, Sludge Bomb, Psychic!"

As Spirielle complied with ruthless efficiency, Kara remarked,

"Spirielle's definitely different from when she was a Gastly. She couldn't focus to save her life before, but now she just toys with people and then whoops their butts."

"She's still a bit immature", countered Milo, "she tends to toy with them a bit more than necessary. But you're right, she's much more invested in battling than before."

The Ghost type in question was currently bludgeoning the furious Gyarados into submission, but it seemed Amaya had underestimated the massive sea serpent's staying power. As one attack after another pummeled the already-poisoned beast, Wake's Gyarados gave a ground-shaking roar and, of his own accord, began firing any attack he could come up with.

"Back off", cried Amaya as she realized her miscalculation, "Spirielle, back off now!"

Spirielle was having too much fun tormenting her dangerous opponent. Seeing the brief miscommunication, Wake made one of his favorite dramatic-finish type plays;

"Gyarados, OUTRAGE!"

With an impossible noise that could only be described as a scream and a roar put together and magnified, Gyarados flung himself bodily at the now frantic Spirielle, pure draconic energy glowing in his crazed eyes.

"Spirielle, forget about hitting back, just MOVE!"

"Oh crap", Milo was on the edge of his seat, "she's losing control of this thing in a hurry. She needs to keep her cool, this is exactly where Wake wants to be right now."

Somehow, with Amaya's frenetic encouragement, Spirielle kept just barely ahead of Gyarados' wild charging. After the most stressful twenty seconds of her battling career, Amaya noticed Gyarados at last pause due to his paralysis.

"NOW, Spirielle, Psychic! Take this thing down!"

The Haunter completed one last inch-perfect dodge before unleashing a vicious Psychic that was strong enough to visibly bend the space around Gyarados. With a final ear-splitting roar, the mighty Atrocious Pokémon toppled into the water, unmoving.

As the crowd exploded in raucous applause, the referee made the call;

"Gyarados is unable to battle, Haunter is the winner!"

"HAHA! That was spectacular", called Wake confidently across the watery field, "but that's only one down! You've got two more to go through before this is over, girl! I'll admit, I was hoping for your Milotic to show up first, but no matter! Let's see how you handle this one; Quagsire! On the water!"

"Hmph", Amaya had regained her composure, and with it her unflappable attitude, "Be careful what you wish for, Wake. Spirielle, return! Coral, let's do this."

Anticipating Kara's question as she leaned over once more, Milo said briefly;

"Quagsire is half Ground type. Not a well-known fact, but in this case it matters. Clearly 'Maya did her homework; Coral's Water moves will be just as effective as usual."

On the field, Quagsire had immediately submerged itself to present less of a target. Coral was firing wide-range moves into the water to try and smoke it out.

"So, why not use Terrus against this thing?" Kara asked, "Isn't he the obvious choice?"

Milo gave a wry smile and said, "He is, for sure. She really should have picked him over Coral. But can you honestly imagine 'Maya going through a Gym battle without Coral on the team? She's slowly learning to branch out, but that part of her style will never change, as long as it keeps working."

Milo turned his full attention to the battle below, as Amaya called;

"Coral, Ice Beam all around. Freeze this thing in."

"Now that's a good one", Wake roared approvingly as he was forced to counterattack at last, "Quagsire, Water Pulse! With gusto!"

Coral had already frozen over half the field, but with its window of escape shrinking quickly Quagsire burst from the pool like a shotgun shell, Water Pulse at the ready. The Milotic was walloped before she could cancel her Ice Beam, but now Quagsire's camouflage was gone.

Wake's decades of experience shone through as he transitioned seamlessly to this new circumstance, "Alright, Quagsire, Earthquake!"

Milo winced as Coral took significant damage from both the Earthquake attack and the chunks of ice that cracked open from its force.

"Yes, now Mud Shot!"

"Retaliate, Coral, Hydro Pump."

The Milotic's water attack easily overpowered Quagsire's Mud Shot, and pushed it back.

 _Wake should have pulled out_ , observed Milo as Quagsire was hit by Hydro Pump as well as its own rebounded power, _but she challenged him in a straight power play, and he couldn't pass it up._

"That could be helpful", he muttered aloud. Still, Amaya hadn't yet won. Not by a long shot. Quagsire had, with some effort, dragged itself up to continue battling.

"Twister!"

"Quagsire, to the side! Don't take that hit!"

"Forward, Coral, and Dragon Tail!"

Milo's brow furrowed at this. Coral typically operated best when she remained stationary. What was Amaya trying to do? Sure enough, Wake spotted the Tender Pokémon's discomfort in coming out to attack, and took advantage.

"Jump back, Quagsire, and Rock Tomb!"

Coral wasn't accustomed to tracking down a dodging opponent, and Dragon Tail missed – badly – before she was partially buried by the Rock Tomb. She was now stuck in a corner, facing the wrong way. Amaya's 'strategy' was a failure, and Wake knew it.

"We've got her now, Quagsire! Mud Bomb, Water Pulse, Mud Shot!"

Quagsire positioned itself squarely behind the trapped Coral and began pummeling her without presenting a clear target for a counterattack.

Coral cried out as the Water Fish's attacks slammed into her ruthlessly, and Amaya had totally lost her cool;

"Coral! Ice Beam, Hydro Pump! Twist around and hit this thing! Come one, you can take it down!"

Coral did indeed manage to land a respectable Ice Beam, and her Hydro Pump smashed into Quagsire's Mud Shot. As the two attacks collided and obscured the two battlers, Milo stood, along with most of the stadium, in excitement and anxiety at what had happened below.

Slowly, the dust settled, and the referee made the call;

"Both Quagsire and Milotic are unable to continue! Trainers, your next Pokémon!"

"I have faith", roared Wake dramatically, "in this last one! Floatzel, on the water!"

"Leon, let's do this", answered Amaya.

Her Luxio emerged and coolly eyed his opponent, who responded in kind. Amaya wanted this over quickly, and called her first attack;

"Thunderbolt, Leon."

As the bolt arced across the pool, Wake didn't even bother calling a counter. He just huffed confidently, crossed his massive arms, and nodded at his trusty Floatzel, who understood perfectly. The evolved Sea Weasel Pokémon easily sidestepped Leon's hopeful Thunderbolt and just stood there, daring Amaya to try again.

"Hmph. Leon, get in there with a Thunder Fang."

"Into the pool, Floatzel."

Wake's Water type was underwater long before Leon could get to it. Finally, Wake called an actual attack;

"Now Aqua Jet!"

Floatzel came flying out of the water behind Leon, slamming into the unfortunate Luxio, who yowled in pain and anger as he was thrown into the water himself.

"Leon, get out of there! Hurry!"

Amaya and Leon were both floundering very badly, and Milo could just make out the sleek form of Wake's Floatzel streaking through the water towards the Spark Pokémon. Amaya must have realized this too, because she screamed,

"Just Thunderbolt from where you are!"

"Amaya, no…!" Milo could see it happen almost in slow motion. Amaya had forgotten that with Leon in the water, his Thunderbolt would hit himself as well as Floatzel. Both Pokémon cried out, and in the aftermath, Leon dragged himself wearily out of the pool. Floatzel had fought Electric types before and was sturdy enough to take a hit, though he clearly wasn't happy about it.

"A risky play", commented Wake, his tone subdued, "I wonder if it was worth it. Let's find out. Floatzel, Pursuit!"

Leon's instinct was to jump forward, but there was nowhere to go but back into the water. On a whim, he tried to meet his attacker with an impromptu Thunder Fang, but he was just too shaken from the damage he'd already taken. Floatzel's Dark type move smashed right through Leon, who had to scramble to get back out of the water as quickly as he could.

Milo's hands went to his face, and his eyes widened, as a horrible thought occurred to him;

 _Is this…can she even pull it off at this point? Somehow? Come on 'Maya, please…_

"Swift, Leon!"

It was a smart play. Swift couldn't miss. But Wake was too calm, too experienced; he pulled yet another trick from his sleeve;

"Meet it with your own Swift, Floatzel!"

"Now, Thunderbolt!"

Leon shot a hopeful bolt through the explosion from the meeting of the two Swift attacks. It was a highly improvised play, but it worked out.

"Oh, that was clever", Kara was doing a brilliant job remaining optimistic, "what a good plan! Woohoo, go 'Maya!"

Floatzel took the hit with a growl, and Wake's response was immediate and vicious;

"Aqua Jet, now!"

Milo had thought his new Buizel's Aqua Jet was impressive, but this Floatzel packed even more of a punch. With a sickening smack and a huge splash, Leon hit the water yet again. This time, when he surfaced, he was unconscious.

Amaya could only look on, stunned, as the referee made it official;

"Luxio is unable to battle, Floatzel is the winner! Challenger, call your final Pokémon!"

Wordlessly, Amaya returned Leon, the customary red beam recalling him from the still turbulent water. Milo and Kara watched from the stands with bated breath as their friend's face went through shock, to anger, and…could it be? Was Amaya…afraid?

 _Come on, 'Maya_ , Milo found himself silently urging her, _you've still got Spirielle, it's still an even fight. Just come on, come on!_

After a few seconds, the Twinleaf Trainer shook her head in a vain attempt to restore some order to it, and released her Haunter back onto the field;

"Spirielle, I need you again. Let's do this."

Amaya's voice was still level, but her face told the whole story. She was not fine. She was in full panic mode. Wake's Floatzel looked tired and hurt but more than ready to grind out a second victory.

"This one's just too close to call", murmured Milo.

As the battle below began slowly, with some cagey opening exchanges as neither side wanted to risk an early hit, Kara heard Milo's remark and punched her boyfriend in the arm angrily;

"Hey, no it's not! Come on, have faith! She's got this one in the bag. Come on, 'Maya! You can beat this thing!"

Despite Kara's insistence, Milo couldn't take his eyes off of Amaya's face, which was stuck in something like a pained grimace.

"Yeah…" Milo tried to find some reason to hope, "Come on, 'Maya…please find something special here…"

Finally, Wake seemed to decide the guarded, defensive battling was done. In a single instant, he switched it up entirely;

"Alright, Floatzel, let's turn it up and end this! Aqua Jet!"

"Spirielle, behind him, and Shadow Ball!"

"Now Pursuit, Floatzel!"

The Aqua Jet had been a ploy; Wake's Sea Weasel cancelled its attack early and Spirielle took a big hit from the super effective Pursuit. Wake still wasn't done;

"Crunch, before it's gone!"

"Spirielle, MOVE!"

But the Haunter was still too bewildered by Floatzel's ability to sneak up on her, and the Crunch compounded Amaya's woes as it struck home.

"Back off, Spirielle! Confuse Ray!"

Wake's eyes narrowed in concentration as he roared;

"Aqua Jet, Floatzel, straight ahead!"

Milo could only admire the brilliance and audacity of the Gym Leader's play. Floatzel's attack pushed right through the Confuse Ray and slammed into Spirielle. Such a hit came at a price; Floatzel was undeniably confused. If Spirielle wasn't down, then the win was all but free for Amaya.

The crowd fell into a hush, and Milo and Kara craned their necks like all the rest, trying to see what had become of Amaya's Haunter…

It was the referee who saw it first, and he made the call;

"Haunter is unable to battle! Floatzel is the winner! The victory goes to the indomitable CRASHER WAKE!"

As he and Kara left their seating section, Milo looked back one last time over his shoulder, and saw Amaya just standing there – frozen in place. She had recalled Spirielle and was just standing immobile in her Trainer's box, staring out at the field like some dead-faced robot.

His heart broke for his friend as, with difficulty, he wrenched his gaze away and hurried out, wracking his brains to think of the fastest way to get to Amaya.

-o-

"It's fine, 'Maya-"

"Stop it, Kara."

"No, really, you can just-"

"Please leave me alone."

"…No."

At that, Amaya looked up. The two of them were seated in Amaya's room at the Pastoria Pokémon Center. Milo had left a while ago to prepare for his own Gym battle.

"Kara, why are you even here? You know his fight starts in five minutes, right? Go watch your boyfriend's battle."

"That's very considerate of you, 'Maya", responded the Performer quite graciously, "but sometimes girlfriends take priority over boyfriends."

With that, Kara settled herself on the bed, grabbed the remote and flipped the TV on; it took only a few seconds to find a local channel that was broadcasting what everyone assumed would be another triumph for the great Crasher Wake.

The two girls sat quietly and watched the last of the lead-up, and at last the battle began. Still neither Kara nor Amaya said much of anything. They watched passively as Azura used hit-and-run tactics to brilliant effect as Gyarados grew increasingly frustrated.

"Kara…thanks", said Amaya at last, "and I'm sorry."

Kara smiled and wrapped her friend in an (unsolicited) hug, "You're welcome, of course, but why are you sorry, 'Maya?"

"I just feel like I've been really needy lately."

"You?" Kara laughed aloud, "When are _you_ ever needy, girl? You're the last one of us to ever need anything, like, ever!"

"I thought so too", the Twinleaf girl countered, as Azura took shelter from Gyarados' latest Outrage by triggering Night, "but Jenks sent me to Sunyshore because I couldn't handle being here, waiting for Milo. Then I scared the crap out of Milo's family because I couldn't hold my own head together under pressure. Now I lose to Wake by making stupid, rookie mistakes and here we are having an Amaya Pity Party instead of actually going to support Milo. Ugh…I hate feeling melodramatic, but I can't help it."

"That…might be the most words I've ever heard you say at once."

Amaya tried to glare at her blue-eyed friend, but found she just couldn't hold it together. Both girls cracked up briefly, before Kara continued;

"Besides, I think what you _really_ hate – oh, Azura wins! Woo! – what you really hate is needing help."

Amaya tried to argue, as on the screen Milo called out Ferra to take on Wake's Quagsire, but Kara once again cut her off quite assertively,

"Listen, 'Maya, you're always there to be the help _er_ , but you don't know how to be a, umm, helpee? Sure, helpee. You know what I mean. When I needed help, you were the first one to invite me along. Milo needed help in the woods that night, and you and your team leapt in no questions asked and literally saved our lives."

"You're exaggerating my helpfulness, and I still don't get the point you're making."

Amaya was frowning now, still staring resolutely at the battle on television. Ferra was doing a good job against Quagsire, but Wake was able to catch her out once or twice. It was an interestingly even bout. Kara tried once more to get through to her downhearted travel companion;

"You've been there for Milo and I so many times, that's what I'm saying. Now you have a rough patch of battles – which is perfectly natural, by the way – and you're freaking out because it's time for us to be here for you. It's…okay to _not_ be okay. Does that make more sense?"

It felt weird, but to Amaya it did finally make sense. She remembered once more the words Milo's mother had spoken back in Sunyshore;

 _I know you feel alone, but please remember you aren't. Just know that. You are not alone._

Very slowly, Amaya took a deep breath and leaned her head to the side, to rest on Kara's shoulder. Kara responded by wrapping her arms consolingly around her friend.

 _This is girly and foolish_ , said a voice in Amaya's head immediately.

 _No_ , she told herself, _I'm just…getting used to not being alone. It feels good._

 **Milo**

"Quagsire is unable to battle, Riolu is the winner! Leader Wake, call your last Pokémon!"

"Brilliant work, young man!" Wake, still his usual confident self, congratulated Milo from across the field, "I'm sure you already know that your hardest challenge starts now! Floatzel, on the water!"

 _I have a plan for this. I also have a backup plan_ , he reminded himself, _Nothing crazy, just work the plan. That fourth badge is mine if I just fight my own way._

"Jet, here's your debut! Let's get to work!"

Milo's new Buizel appeared in a flash, and Wake laughed heartily;

"AHA! I like a surprise; I see you've rounded out your team with a Water-type! Great choice! Now let's have this battle; Floatzel, straight to it! Into the pool!"

Wake's proud Sea Weasel leapt easily into the water and Milo nodded to Jet;

"Easy, Jet. You know what to do."

Wake's brows visibly furrowed, but he seemed to decide it was worth the risk to spring the trap and see what came of it;

"Now, Floatzel! Up, and Ice Punch!"

"Do it, Aqua Jet!"

Milo's newest team member had more speed than most, and his reactions were impressive as well. As soon as Floatzel began to emerge, its fist glowing white, Jet launched his favorite attack straight into its chest.

"Now, Aqua Tail follow-up!"

"Pursuit!"

Wake was no slouch. Floatzel landed a perfect Pursuit attack into Jet's back that sent the younger Sea Weasel hurtling headfirst into the water.

 _Oww_ , came Jet's voice in his Trainer's mind, _Can I hide under here for a bit? That didn't exactly tickle._

 _No!_ Milo's reply was frantic, _He's even more dangerous underwater, remember? You're better off fighting up here! Trust me, Jet, trust the plan!_

"Jet", he cried aloud, "Up and Swift!"

Jet leapt out of the water to the side of his opponent and launched the unfailingly accurate Swift. It didn't do much damage, but it was a hit nonetheless.

"Floatzel, Aqua Jet!"

"Jet, MOVE!"

But Jet sneered and launched his own Aqua Jet straight at the oncoming Floatzel. Milo's Buizel lost the power matchup, and badly. He flew backwards past Milo and slammed into the wall. Worried, the Jubilife Trainer fingered the Buizel's Pokéball, until he heard his battler's voice in his mind;

 _Oh, that is IT! He is MINE now!_

 _Easy, Jet, we have a plan. You have to trust me here._

 _Yeah, yeah, sure_ , answered the Sea Weasel offhandedly as he rushed back to the battle.

Something in his tone made Milo uneasy, and he made the snap decision to stick to the basics just to see the fight through.

"Quick Attack", called Milo shortly. Jet obliged, and Floatzel was again forced backwards with a grimace. All the smaller hits it had taken would surely begin to add up very soon…

"Fight back with Ice Fang!"

Wake's Gym team ace lunged at Jet, but the Buizel proved too slippery, barely escaping into the water. Wake's face split into a grin as he thought of something;

"Floatzel, to me!"

Unquestioningly, the grown Sea Weasel leapt back to the platform nearest his Trainer. Milo couldn't guess what Wake was up to, but he had to do _something_ , so he ordered;

"Jet, up and Swift! Keep your distance!"

Jet popped up halfway across the field, but Wake's plan was already in motion. As soon as Milo made his move, Wake had called out;

"Aqua Jet, Floatzel!"

Jet went flying yet again, and Milo was having serious doubts about his Buizel's ability to win this match. Still, he would keep trying to the very end.

"Alright, Jet, give me a Water Gun from there."

Milo's eyes widened as Jet instead went sprinting past him;

 _Screw that, I'll take this guy down face to face for playing me like that!_

"Jet, NO!"

Jet wasn't listening. Wake crossed his arms with a smirk and said calmly,

"Floatzel, Ice Punch."

"Stop, Jet! He's going to-"

It was too late. The disobedient Buizel launched the best Aqua Jet he could muster, and was thus smacked all the harder when Floatzel threw a perfectly-timed Ice Punch into his face. This time there was no question; Jet was down.

"Buizel is unable to continue! Floatzel is the winner! Milo, call your next Pokémon!"

The choice was easy, and Milo made the call immediately;

"Jet, return. Azura, you're back in."

"Seems your Buizel has trust issues, young Milo", commented Wake, "that'll cause you no end of trouble if you can't control it soon. But now, let's finish the magnificent battle at hand! Floatzel, into the water!"

"Azura, Night!"

As the dark cloud obscured everything above the water's surface, the combatants reached a stalemate. Each had their own form of camouflage, and neither wanted to be the first to relinquish the advantage. Wake soon solved that problem;

"Floatzel, up! Swift!"

"Block it, end Night", ordered Milo curtly. Mentally, he added;

 _This thing is tough, but it'll never back down from a power challenge. We just have to fake one of those and flip it on him._

 _I see_ , answered Azura smoothly, as she blocked the oncoming Swift with a Shadow Ball and let the cloud of darkness disperse, _Pursuit, then?_

 _Yep_ , answered Milo, _be ready when I call Night Shade._

"Chase that thing down, Floatzel", called Wake, "Aqua Jet!"

"Dark Pulse", countered Milo easily.

Once again, Azura understood her Trainer perfectly. Dark Pulse was enough to throw Floatzel off, giving Azura time to escape to one side before Aqua Jet came plowing through the space she'd just vacated. Shaking his head with a grimace, Floatzel roared aloud in frustration at having been tricked.

 _One more hit should do it_ , Milo was being cautious, _then we'll play our cards, girl._

 _Agreed_ , answered the faithful Umbreon.

"Quick, Confusion!"

Floatzel barked again in distress as the Psychic attack took him by surprise. Wake was frowning now, and Milo judged the time to be right at last;

"Get in there, Azura! Night Slash while he's out of it!"

"Show these rookies what you're made of, Floatzel! Aqua Jet!"

"NOW!"

Azura knew exactly what was coming, and launched a wonderful Pursuit that flung the unsuspecting Sea Weasel hard into one of the platforms before it skid into the water. The whole stadium held its breath…and then Floatzel's unconscious form surfaced and the referee was forced to call the match;

"Floatzel is unable to continue, Umbreon is the winner! The match goes to Milo, the challenger!"

Milo took several deep breaths, hugely relieved as the crowd cheered his name. Feeling a weight fall off his shoulders, he walked around to meet a beaming Crasher Wake on the side of the pool;

"That was a wonderful display of adaptability and fearlessness, young Milo! I commend you, and confer to you this Fen Badge!"

Breathlessly, Milo took the small badge and held it aloft for the crowd to see, applauding them for their generous support.

"I assume", added Wake, "that you won't mind me posting that battle on the BattleNet?"

Milo shook his head, "Go ahead. I have a feeling you'll have another one to post soon; if I know Amaya she won't stay down for long. She'll be back here before you know it."

"Haha!" The Pastoria Leader clapped Milo on the shoulder, "Tell her I await our rematch eagerly! The two of you will go far someday, mark my words! And Milo", he called as Milo turned to head out, "give that Buizel another chance. He's got a lot of potential, but he needs to learn to trust you before he can realize it."

Milo nodded with a tired grin. He'd have to have a long talk with his newest team member. For now, though, that could wait. He turned once more and made his way back towards the Pokémon Center.

-o-

* _RING RING*_

"Hearthome Gym, you've reached Leader Marcus. How can I –oh, hey, Wake!"

Through the screen, Wake greeted his younger colleague;

"Hello indeed, Marcus! Have you seen?"

"Uh…I guess not. What haven't I seen?"

Wake couldn't resist an eager smile, "Your brother just beat me. The video is up on the Net!"

"Ah", the Dark type Leader shook his head with a rueful grin, "so the two hotshot Rookies burned right through you as well, did they?"

"Well now, give me some credit!" Wake bantered right back, "I managed to at least go one for two!"

Confused, Marcus raised an eyebrow, "One for…? Wait, you beat Amaya? Interesting…Well, then perhaps there's hope for the rest of us! Thanks for the update, my friend."

"Of course", responded the veteran Water type master, "Best of luck to you when they come calling."

As he hung up, Marcus felt a giddiness building up within him. He was always eager to do his job as a Leader, but the prospect of battling Milo at last…he already couldn't wait.

 _Maybe…Ah yes, I know just the thing. Just wait, little bro_ , grinned the Hearthome Leader, _your unbeaten streak ends with me. I'll make sure of it._

 **Author's Notes:**

 **This one was a bit tough for me. Once again, I try to set myself a high standard and not just write empty words to fill space and advance the story with useless fluff. I can only hope I've done a good job. We've got a new member of Milo's team, but all's not well, it seems! And how will Amaya bounce back from her latest setback? PLEASE let me know what you thought!**

 **Also, I apologize for being so long with this update. I was just starting to feel the slightest bit burnt out, and I wanted to prevent that before it became a problem, so I took a couple weeks' break. I hope this was worth it, and I promise I won't be quitting anytime soon!**

 **As usual, I encourage you to leave me any thoughts, encouragements, or criticisms you can think of. Also, if you enjoy the story, consider leaving a follow/favorite! It helps me know there's people interested in it, and it helps more people find the story as well.**

 **I don't own Pokémon!**

 **Thank you SO MUCH for reading! – Ciao, good people of the interwebs.**

 **Reviews:**

 **Plague Dog Unleashed – I really tested your theory on this one. Sorry 'bout that…**

 **Mystery Human – I have this mental image of you in a Zorro mask and a cape sitting at a computer dramatically reviewing this story. I really hope I'm right. Thanks as always for the advice! I appreciate the reminder of show-don't-tell, that's always a good tip. Best of luck on your own writing! If you'd like, feel free to PM me so I can read your stuff, I'd be eager to see your writing in action! To everyone else, Guest's reviews are full of great writing advice that anyone could benefit from, take a look!**


	19. Chapter 19 - Playtime Is Over

Milo Chapter 19 – Playtime Is Over

"Let the rematch between Amaya the challenger and Leader Wake…BEGIN!"

Milo sat in the stands, already on the edge of his seat. It had been three days since he won his badge and Amaya didn't, and now the Twinleaf Trainer was bound and determined to exact her revenge. Next to him sat Kara, invested in her friend's success as ever. On his lap was Azura, just as eager for the match as her Trainer.

"I've been waiting for this", roared Wake with an excited glint in his veteran face, "let's see what you've come up with this time! Gyarados, on the water!"

"Leon, let's do this."

As the reliable Luxio appeared, Milo allowed an eager smile to grace his features, commenting;

"Oh, she's got that furious 'Maya look on her face again…if I know anything about how her mind works, Wake is _toast_ this time."

"Wait", Kara was concerned, "last time you said this was a bad matchup because of the size difference. Isn't it still a bad idea?"

"Oh, this is still risky as all get out", Milo answered vigorously, "but when 'Maya gets like this, you can bet on her sheer willpower to counteract the risk factor every time."

Sure enough, Wake tried to take advantage of the size mismatch right away;

"Show them a Twister, Gyarados!"

"Thunderbolt, Leon, right now!"

Milo pumped his fist victoriously, as the Atrocious Pokémon roared in pain and was unable to whip a Twister into play.

"YES! There it is, 'Maya! Show him what you've got!"

 _You know,_ Azura added mentally as Milo sat back down, _That's typically how we fight Coral. I think Amaya's finally learning how to play smart and hit hard at the same time._

 _Good catch,_ Milo agreed, _I think you're right._

Wake wasn't going to back down, though, and was ready to keep at it;

"Fine, now show me Outrage!"

The intimidating beast threw itself bodily at Amaya's brave Spark Pokémon, and she was forced into evasive maneuvers;

"Leon, dodge, and keep an eye on him. Try to keep circling behind!"

Always the last one to lose his cool (unless he got dunked underwater), Leon nimbly leapt from one platform to the next, never giving Gyarados a clear line of sight to hit him with the flailing Outrage attack.

"Now another Thunderbolt, then keep moving!"

"Perfect", said Milo from the stands, "this is that rhythmic approach she was talking about before. Leon's not a big tank like Coral or Granite; this hit and run game is perfect for him."

Wake's confident smirk had vanished, and he switched tactics quickly;

"Turn and Dragon Rage!"

Already on its last legs, the proud Water type whirled about and fired a surprisingly fast Dragon Rage attack. Somehow, it had managed to fire the attack ahead of where Leon was, so instead of dodging under it, the Luxio was unable to halt his momentum and went crashing headfirst into the blast.

"Uh-oh", said Kara, "this is how it all started to go bad last time."

 _Have faith, milady_ , Kara had released her Ralts, and Florence spoke up from her position on the Performer's lap, _The good Lady Amaya appears fully prepared to handle herself with aplomb, despite this dire circumstance._

The observation was an astute one. Amaya grimaced, but was able to regain her composure and salvage the situation;

"Leon, use Return! Then get back out of the water!"

From his vulnerable position, Leon was able to pour all of his love and loyalty into an almighty blast that sent Gyarados reeling backwards. The Electric type scrambled back onto the nearest platform, but his haste proved unnecessary, as Gyarados came toppling down, defeated at last.

"Hmm! Well then", nodded Wake, "that's what I'd expect from a Rookie of your reputation, Amaya! Let's see how you deal with…Quagsire!"

Amaya ignored Wake completely and made her own change;

"Leon, great work, now come on back. Terrus, you're in. Let's do this."

"Yes, YES!" Milo applauded enthusiastically, calling out, "Way to use your head, 'Maya! Great play!"

Azura nodded approvingly as well, _This is looking good for her. I'm glad; she deserves this win. She's put in more than enough work in the past three days alone. But Floatzel will be the deal breaker, even if she gets through Quagsire unscathed._

"Quagsire, start with Earthquake!"

As the field began to shake, Terrus grimaced, but Amaya had a strategy prepared this time;

"Giga Drain, while it's attacking!"

Gritting his teeth through the damage, Amaya's Grotle took perfect advantage of Quagsire's vulnerability while it powered the Earthquake to leech its health. By the time the quake settled, it looked as if Quagsire had fared worse than Terrus from the exchange.

"Clever", nodded the Pastoria Leader, "Very creative. But it'll take more than cleverness alone to get through me! Quagsire, close in with Slam!"

"He's got her figured", Milo said nervously, "he knows that Terrus doesn't usually move when he fights. He's betting she can't dodge a straight hit like Slam."

As it happened, Amaya had a plan for that as well,

"Grass Knot, like we practiced!"

There was an audible gasp from the audience; the Grass Knot was larger than any they'd ever seen! In fact, it was forceful enough to swat Quagsire like a baseball, sending the Water Fish Pokémon crashing into the side of the arena.

"Now Razor Leaf!"

Wake had to think quickly to avoid the damage that was starting to pile up against him;

"Mud Shot those leaves, Quagsire! Then Rock Tomb and Slam!"

Only an experienced Leader could have pushed back so quickly and so effectively. As Terrus grunted under the impact of the Mud Shot, Amaya was forced to play some defense of her own;

"Energy Ball through the Rock Tomb, Crunch as it comes in for the Slam!"

Wake's Pokémon came flying through the chaos, but Terrus' nerve held just enough. The focusedq Grotle was able to time his Crunch well enough to catch the onrushing Quagsire and fling it back the way it had come. This time the round was over;

"Quagsire is unable to continue, Grotle is the winner!"

Wake actually applauded his young challenger as he returned his second fallen team member.

"You've done well; your decision-making is vastly improved this time around. Still, I wonder what you'll conjure up to deal with…Floatzel! On the water!"

 **Amaya**

This was it. Her plan had worked to perfection so far, and there was only one more phase to go… This was the hardest part.

 _Just make the call, Amaya_ , she told herself, _Make the right choice._

Still, her hand trembled and hesitated over her belt as she reached for her final Pokémon. Time seemed to slow as she second-guessed herself at this crucial juncture. If this was the right play, why did it feel so wrong?

 _No, stop this_ , she growled silently, _Just follow the plan. Come ON!_

At last, she wrenched her hand away from Coral's ball and grabbed the one beside it;

"Terrus, return. Spirielle, let's do this."

"What's this?" Wake raised an eyebrow at her from across the water, "No Milotic? You are full of surprises, to be sure."

As she had through the whole fight, Amaya ignored Wake's banter and commentary, choosing instead to take the early initiative.

"Astonish, Spirielle, then Lick."

Wake was caught off guard, and scrambled to recover;

"Aha! Crunch, Floatzel!"

Spirielle got her Astonish attack in, leaving Floatzel vulnerable for just long enough to paralyze it with Lick. Inwardly, Amaya breathed a huge sigh of relief. The biggest danger Floatzel posed was its speed, and that had just been crippled by paralysis, which was already taking effect on the Sea Weasel.

From the stands, she distinctly heard Milo cheering his heart out; he of all people would understand. After that play, the battle was more or less Amaya's to lose. Nevertheless, she knew better than to let her guard down now, especially against a Leader as formidable as Wake. He was crafty to say the least.

"Floatzel", he ordered swiftly, "into the water! If we can't outrun her, we'll use the field to our advantage!"

"Spirielle, up! Get high above the water!"

"Floatzel, show me Brine!"

Amaya's escape plan came in handy. Her Haunter was able to spot the attack coming from below before it was too close to dodge. As expected, the Twinleaf Trainer called a snap counter;

"Hypnosis!"

It was _so_ close. It was almost heart wrenching for Amaya's friends to see Hypnosis miss Floatzel's retreating form by inches at most. If it would have hit, the battle would surely have been over. Still, Amaya wasn't out of tricks just yet.

"Sludge Bomb, into the water! Make it rain, girl!"

Gleefully, the mischievous Gas Pokémon launched one poisonous orb after another into the pool, which quickly took on a sickly purple hue and became quite murky.

"Hmm. Floatzel, get out of there! Aqua Jet, straight up!"

Now poisoned as well as paralyzed, Floatzel nonetheless came barreling heroically out of the water, catching Spirielle by surprise as she was still hurling Sludge Bombs downward at an alarming rate. As the Ghost type reeled from the hit, Amaya saw a chance to put the battle to bed; Floatzel's attack had worked, but gravity now carried it helplessly back down.

"Spirielle, Psychic, and throw it back up!"

"Floatzel, break its hold with Crunch!"

Wake's move was very intelligent. The Dark type move easily broke through the Psychic attack. However, Amaya's play had been more about the throw than the damage from Psychic. Sure enough, Floatzel was sent spinning through the air in a dangerous arc, unable to control its momentum.

"Snipe it, Spirielle! Shadow Ball!"

"Floatzel, concentrate and block them with Ice Punch!"

At the beginning of the battle, such a bold strategy would likely have worked, but poison, paralysis and fatigue combined to render Floatzel incapable of effective defense as it fell. By the time it hit the water, enough Shadow Ball attacks had landed to render the mighty Sea Weasel unconscious.

"Floatzel is unable to battle! The victory goes to the challenger, Amaya from Twinleaf!"

As the crowd erupted, Amaya found her friends literally jumping for joy in the stands, and gave them a curt nod.

Her body was operating largely on autopilot as she accepted the badge from Wake and nodded when asked about posting her battle to the BattleNet.

She was still waiting for it.

She was waiting for the feeling of relief at overcoming Wake's infamously tough Gym team. She needed to feel that sweet sensation of a revenge victory. Yet…it never came. As she walked slowly back towards the Pokémon Center, she tried to make it happen, thinking to herself;

 _It's done. I beat him. I've completed the first half of the Sinnoh Gym Challenge. I paid Wake back for beating me last time. Why don't I feel better?_

She honestly couldn't focus, and didn't pay much attention to Milo and Kara when they were waiting to congratulate her back in her room. Something was still eating at her – it was like a thought on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't quite place it.

 _Why do I still feel unsettled about all this? I – I still need to be stronger. I won't feel better until I'm strong enough to win that battle ten times out of ten. I need more power._

 **Kara**

She was worried about Amaya. Their victorious friend had nodded and 'whatever'ed her way through all their attempted celebrations and plans for moving on towards Hearthome. Still, Milo assured his concerned girlfriend that this wasn't too far away from typical Amaya and that hopefully she'd snap out of it soon.

"Alright…Do you still think we should go? I feel bad leaving her alone like that."

"Nah, it's probably for the best that she gets some space if she's feeling off. It's our last night in Pastoria by the beach, the weather is great, and we're a couple. Let's have fun!"

Kara was still a bit hesitant, but at Milo's insistence she took his hand and followed. Before too long, any lingering concerns or reservations melted away. Unlike their tumultuous first date, this one was pure bliss. They went to a nice dinner at a restaurant with a beautiful ocean view (and a hefty price tag, which Milo covered with a nervous chuckle after seeing the number on the receipt).

After dinner they went out onto the pristine sands, still warm from the sun's rays that were just beginning to sink beyond the picturesque horizon. They let their Pokémon out to play and sat together watching. It was divine. It was surreal. It was magical.

"Milo", began the young Performer, "Milo, I know it's cheesy and old-fashioned and whatever, but…I have literally never felt so happy in my life. I…Thank you. Thank you so much."

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Milo just turned and smiled at her, looking deeply at her with that gleam in his eye that drew her to him so…

Their heads moved together slowly, magnetically, and Kara had just closed her eyes, awaiting the sweet kiss, when she felt Milo stop;

"Uh…huh? Kara, look, what's up with Florence?"

Kara's eyes snapped back open and her head whipped around to see Florence at her other side, staring at the two humans with rapt attention. She heard the Ralts' voice in her mind as the little Feeling Pokémon began to shimmer and glow;

 _M-milady Kara, I – I can feel your happiness. Such depth of joy and peace…I feel overwhelmed by the strength and purity of your emotions…_

Her voice trailed off as her entire body was consumed by a white glow.

"No way", Milo was breathless, "is she evolving? Kara she's literally evolving just from how strong your emotions are! Whoa!"

Sure enough, after a few seconds, the glow faded to reveal a marvelous Kirlia twirling gracefully on one foot. Florence came to a stop, looked over her new form, and gave an elegant curtsey.

 _My goodness_ , her voice more mature now, but no less smooth and no less formal, _I do believe I quite like this new form. It would seem that I have gained a great deal of strength as well. Of course, I have you to thank once more, milady Kara. It was only by the power of your love for our dearest Milo that I was able to complete this happiest of transformations._

"Flo", Kara was beaming with pride, "I love your new form; you're a magnificent Kirlia! Oh, I'm so happy for you!"

She actually got up and embraced her new Emotion Pokémon, a gesture which Florence was now large enough to reasonably return.

 _Ah_ , _but please, I will distract no longer from your charming courtship. Look, the sun is setting over the water and now the time is ripe for the love between a gentleman and a beautiful lady to blossom all the stronger._

Tactfully, Florence left her Trainer to go and join the rest of the Pokémon (Azura had, in fact, been hard-pressed to keep the oblivious Aurora from interrupting much sooner to investigate). As the Psychic type danced and twirled her way down the beach, Milo and Kara were alone again, lost in one another as the sun cast itself one last time over the world before making way at last to the cool blanket of a perfect Pastoria night.

Silence reigned over the young couple for another two hours as they sat together on the sands. Kara had nestled herself against Milo's chest and, after all, what words could be said? Such a beautiful moment defied expression, and so was allowed to run its natural course.

 **Milo**

"NOOOO!"

 _AAH! …Dammit._

Milo sat bolt upright in his bed. Again. The same nightmare, every time. He was still being forced to relive that traumatizing night, the night of the attack, over and over in his dreams. He'd dared to hope that maybe, just maybe, he would be spared that night, after his blissful evening with Kara, but it wasn't to be.

Punching his pillow in frustration, he felt something brush against his side and turned to pet his faithful Umbreon behind her ears, just the way she liked.

 _I hate going through this every night_ , he said.

 _I know you do._

 _I hate not knowing why this happens to me!_

Azura purred softly, consolingly, _I understand, Milo._

 _I just…I hate feeling so helpless._

 _...Me too._

With a shake of his head, the Jubilife Trainer tried to lay back down, but his blood was pumping and he couldn't feel tired. Disgusted with his own subconscious, he leaned over and checked the time.

"Bah, what's the point trying to fall back to sleep. I guess I'm going to get a jump start on packing for Hearthome."

As Milo began padding softly about the room, assembling his things as quietly as he could, Ferra was the first of his Pokémon apart from Azura to stir.

 _Did you have a bad dream again, Papa?_

 _I'm okay, Ferra. You can sleep a while longer, I'm just getting a head start on packing._

The room began to slowly grow brighter as Blaze woke up from his spot in the corner, his head flame coming back to life as slumber fell from the Flame Pokémon. Inevitably, the rest of his team soon followed, and before long all of Milo's Pokémon were awake.

"Well, I guess there's no more point being quiet. You guys can either help me pack or go outside to the practice field and train, it's your choice."

Still rubbing sleep from their eyes, four of the six chose to await their Trainer outside. Only Blaze and Azura stayed to keep him company. Milo chuckled as he collected his things;

"Heh, look at you two old-timers. You're the team veterans now. Geez, this is a random memory, but that first practice battle against Cynthia feels like forever ago, back in Sandgem. Remember that?"

 _Yeah_ , Blaze shook his head in mock disappointment, _we barely held our own against an Aipom and a Bonsly._

"And now look at you, Mr. High-and-Mighty Infernape. Think you could handle that Aipom in a rematch?"

The three of them shared a laugh, before Blaze became more serious and looked at Azura before asking cautiously,

 _Milo, I didn't want to say a whole lot in front of everyone, especially the young ones, but seriously…are you okay?_

Milo stopped, and understanding struck him at last;

"So that's why you two stayed behind."

He sat back down on the bed with a heavy sigh, and answered as honestly as he could;

"Look, I promise I really am okay…mostly. It's just these nightmares, these memories that won't stop coming back from that night. It's like Aurora said; I was so close to losing everything – we all were. I can't get that out of my head."

He was staring down now, coming to grips with the fear he'd kept tucked away. It refused to be contained any longer, and Milo began to feel himself trembling.

Azura leapt up to sit beside him, and said;

 _We all still trust you, Milo. Maybe what we're doing now will help. The stronger we are, the more we'll be able to protect ourselves and our friends, right?_

Blaze seemed to like the idea, and he jumped in;

 _I second that. The stronger we are, the less we have to fear. This training will help us in more ways than one._

Milo looked up, a tentative smile on his face;

"More training, less fear, huh? I don't know…maybe you're right. Maybe what we need is just…more power."

The three of them sat in silence as Milo thought to himself. After another few seconds he jumped up, took a breath to reset himself, and said;

"At any rate, it's the best idea we've got, and we have to keep moving forward somehow. In training we trust. Now let's finish packing and get moving towards Hearthome."

So it was that a reinvigorated Milo was finished packing by breakfast time. He met Kara and Amaya in the cafeteria of the Pokémon Center for a bite to eat, and then headed out to meet up with his team. They couldn't leave just yet, since Kara and Amaya needed time to pack their things. They, after all, had the luxury of sleeping through the night, and so hadn't been up nearly as early as Milo.

Feeling relaxed and pleasantly peaceful, he settled in to supervise his team, until Jet caught his eye and motioned with his head. Milo shot his Buizel a questioning look;

 _What's up, pal?_

 _Can…you come with me for a second? I'd like to talk to you. Away from the others._

Confused, Milo nodded and followed his new Water type away from the rest of the team. Jet led him into the woods that backed up to the Center, and then stopped. Milo sat down with his back against a tree, and Jet settled in opposite him.

 _I…I messed up._

"What do you mean, Jet? When did – oh. This is about the battle against Wake, huh?"

Milo had been waiting for the right time to bring this up with his Buizel. Jet's disobedience in the heat of the match could have been very costly. It was also the first time Milo had been forced to deal with something as serious as this.

"Look, Jet. I'll admit I was far from impressed by that. You could have won that battle if you had followed my plan. Instead you trusted your gut more than me, and Floatzel made you pay for it."

Milo took a breath and made to continue, but Jet cut in, quite nervously,

 _I know that, I do. Hindsight is perfect, or whatever you humans say, but…I just…I hope you can understand why trust is hard for me right now. It's because…_

 **Flashback – Jet**

Buizel's Trainer looked down at him with a noticeable tear in her eye. Nova and her team had been comprehensibly flattened just yesterday by the latest phenomenon out of Jubilife, a kid named Milo. Buizel had, of course, done what he could to salvage the situation, winning a tough match against an upstart Monferno before losing to a crazy powerful Umbreon.

He crossed his arms over his chest and huffed in annoyance at the memory. It felt wrong for a Pokémon to be the one carrying the team on his back. That was supposed to be his Trainer's job, but she was still, in his opinion, largely incompetent. She was learning, though, slowly but surely. One day Buizel had faith that they could make a powerful team, but that day was still far off – especially if she was going to cry like this after every significant loss.

"Buizel, why won't you just listen to me?"

He barked back at her. It wasn't _his_ fault that she kept calling the wrong moves! He was trying to show her that he was more capable than she gave him credit for, but she wasn't getting the picture!

"We could be such a strong team if I could rely on you in a battle, but you've only gotten worse since we've been together!"

Gotten worse? What was she talking about? Their success rate had gone _up_ since they started, not down! He was her strongest team member! Sure, they had their rough patches, but once that was worked out between them they could really be something special!

"This is what I'm talking about, Buizel", continued Nova, gesturing at his guarded stance, his offended facial expression, "I'm trying to extend an olive branch, and you won't even meet me halfway. I just…", Nova's voice cracked, and Buizel's eyes narrowed. What was she up to?

"I just…think I'm out of options here."

Out of options? What was she – wait, was that his Pokéball she was holding? Why was – no! No, it couldn't be! Was she planning to-

As his eyes widened in shock, Nova raised his Pokéball high above her head and, with her voice and hand both trembling, said;

"I…I release you, Buizel. Go be free and wild again."

With that, she brought the ball crashing down to shatter against the pavement. He stepped back once, twice, reeling in shock. Never had the thought crossed his mind that his Trainer would give up on him rather than work with and try to understand him…

His head whirling, with anger, fear, sadness, and betrayal coursing through his heart, Buizel acted on instinct and turned, dashing away through the city to get away from the scene of his broken aspirations. As he sprinted off, he heard her voice one last time;

"I'm sorry, Buizel! This is really for the best!"

 _No_ , he thought as he ran, _Whatever awful thing this is, it surely isn't 'for the best'._

 **End Flashback**

Milo could only sit back in shock at the revelation of Jet's history with his old Trainer.

"I…I knew she released you, pal, but somehow I guess I assumed it was a mutual agreement or something. That just sounds terrible. You're right, I can totally see why trusting another Trainer is tough for you right now."

 _That still doesn't excuse what I did against Wake._

Milo allowed a sad smile to creep back over his face,

"No, you're right, it doesn't. But it does tell me _why_ you did what you did. Jet, I really appreciate you telling me about all this. I promise never to put you through that again, no matter what. If you'll agree to at least listen to me in battle, I'll guarantee you that eventually you can have the kind of autonomy on the battle field that you're looking for. You've seen the way I battle with Azura; that could be you as well if you give me some time to build that kind of a connection between us. What do you think, Jet?"

The Sea Weasel eyed him carefully, but not unkindly, and responded,

 _That's twice now you've promised me something big like that. Still, you haven't given me any reason not to believe you. My gut says I should keep doing my own thing, but…my better judgement says I can believe you. If you'll give me a second chance, I'll trust you and make the most of it. Milo…thanks._

Trainer and Pokémon shared a meaningful nod, and silently began making their way back to the rest of the team. There they found Nurse Joy looking over a somewhat irritated-looking Drake.

"Nurse Joy", Milo jogged over, concerned, "is something the matter with Drake?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out", responded the kindly Joy, "Your friend's Kirlia suggested to me using telepathy that this Gabite – Drake – had sustained some kind of damage during training this morning."

 _I will hold fast by my words_ , came a huffy telepathic shout from the doorway of the Pokémon Center, _I personally witnessed the good Sir Drake receive the full fury of milady Azura's strongest Dark Pulse and attempt to continue his efforts in their training bout. Such dangerous levels of exertion are highly unsafe!_

Milo chuckled nervously and tried to placate his girlfriend's Psychic type,

"Uh, I'm sure we all appreciate you keeping an eye out for things like that, Florence, but Drake's a big boy. He can take a hit, even from Azura. Nurse Joy, does he seem injured at all?"

 _I'm just freakin' fine!_ Drake roared indignantly at having been forced to stop fighting, _Give me a break, Azura probably wasn't even going all out. Look, I would know if I was actually hurt, I'm not an idiot! Geez, Florence, come on._

"Drake, buddy, ease up", Milo wanted to prevent an argument between Drake and the prim Kirlia, "She's just trying to make sure you're alright, man. She's worried about you, is all."

Nurse Joy spared them any further consternation by straightening up and declaring with a smile, "Your Gabite seems to be just fine! He's a real competitor, so make sure he doesn't overdo it in training. Actually, Milo, I came out here originally to look for you, as well. You have a call on the line inside. Follow me, please."

Back in the lobby, Milo spotted Kara and Amaya sitting on one of the couches chatting;

"Hey, Milo", called Amaya, "there you are. Come on, we're all ready now."

"Yeah, just give me a minute. Apparently I have a call on the line."

Amaya rolled her eyes in that inimitably grumpy-friendly way she had and sat back down as Milo pressed the button to turn on audio and video for the call. Surprisingly, it was Marcus' face that popped up.

"Oh", Milo was confused, "hey, bro. We're just about to head out on our way to you. It's good to see your face, but why the call?"

"You need to get to Hearthome as soon as you can. It's the Order."

Milo's voice fell immediately to a reverent hush;

"The Order? Is it another mission?"

Marcus nodded solemnly, "We're hitting the Spirit League; we found a base of theirs, northwest of Celestic Town."

Milo realized his breath had subconsciously quickened;

"Marcus, I…I don't know about this. I've been – well, not the same since that night. To be honest", it killed him to admit weakness, but facing those demonic ghost-people again struck horror into his very soul, "I haven't slept through the night since the attack. I can't get that Primal out of my head, Marcus."

"Listen to me, bro", his older sibling was strangely insistent, "that's exactly _why_ we're doing this. They had the audacity to attack you directly, and that cannot – _will_ not – go unpunished. This isn't just you and me, man, we've got every big name in the Order converging quietly on Celestic Town as we speak. You need to get your butt to Hearthome so you and I can join up with the rest."

"The…whole Order? The entire Order of Shadows is taking revenge because of _me_?"

The young Jubilife Trainer was incredulous. Once more, this whole secret war just seemed too big to be true, and now he felt uncomfortably close to the center of it.

Still, just like he remembered from his first mission in Floaroma, Milo got that feeling in his chest – Marcus had called and asked him to be a part of this. Marcus, his older brother and his lifelong idol, thought _he_ was strong enough to be a part of this operation. The Order itself thought he was important enough for an all-out offensive. Some part of Milo, deep down, couldn't ignore the grandeur of these facts. With a small voice, he nodded;

"O-okay. I'll be in Hearthome in two days."

Marcus frowned at his younger sibling's proposed timetable;

"Two days? Milo, bro, I get the idea of sticking to travelling the routes by foot, and that's all well and good, but I don't think you quite grasp the urgency we're talking about here. I was hoping to book you a ticket on the plane that leaves this afternoon. I'm heading to Celestic later this evening, and I want you to come with me."

Milo's eyes shot wide open, "Today? B-but what about 'Maya and Kara? How am I supposed to pay for tickets that soon? Marcus-"

But his brother only waved off his flustered concerns, saying, "You won't have to pay for a thing, and I'll make sure the plane to Hearthome has three seats waiting for you guys. Dee will be here to care for my Gym and your friends until we get back. Come _on_ , Milo! This whole thing is being put together for _you_! The Shadow Master herself began setting this up the moment she heard about what happened!"

That certainly got Milo's attention. He stopped short, and Marcus could see him teetering on the edge of a decision.

"…Alright. I'll talk to 'Maya and Kara, and explain it to them. Book the tickets."

"You got it, bro. I'll text you the info in a few minutes. See you later."

With that, Marcus hung up, and Milo was left with his mind spinning like a Hitmontop. He walked shakily back over to the two girls, who were still waiting on him to head out. With a deep breath, Milo explained everything that had just happened as quickly – and quietly – as he could.

"You have to be kidding me", scoffed Amaya, "it's always something with you, Milo."

Kara was much more reactive than her Twinleaf friend, "Oh, Milo! That sounds unbelievably dangerous! You shouldn't go!"

"I have to, Kara", he countered. "If I can't face up to them I won't be able to get fully back to myself…ever. I'll just be terrified of them for the rest of my life. This is for you, too. I'm going to go with the Order and make sure these Ghost freaks get paid back in full for threatening you."

"Milo, I really appreciate that I mean that much to you but please-"

"Ah, let him", Amaya cut in, unexpectedly. "Kara, come on, you know that look he's got, there's no way he's backing down. Besides, it's Milo – we all know he'll find some crazy way to get through this like he always does. And you know Marcus would literally _die_ before he let anything happen to his little brother."

Milo had long since explained the Order and everything he was involved in to his girlfriend, who had been just as bewildered by it all as one might expect. Still, Amaya's logic was both blunt and solid.

"Well…well, alright, I guess. If I can't stop you, then let's take the flight. I – Milo, I still _really_ don't feel good about this, but I'll support you because I know you'll just do it either way."

It wasn't the resounding encouragement he would've dreamed of, but under the circumstances, it was the best Milo could realistically hope for.

Early that afternoon, the three teenagers found themselves on a short flight to Hearthome. The trip was an uneasy one. Milo was nervous, Kara was nervous for Milo (and slightly upset that Milo was going despite her concerns), and Amaya was – well, she was as bright and cheerful as usual.

When they got into Hearthome, they were quickly found and ushered into a car by Gardenia, who jumped in the driver's seat breathlessly and said,

"Wow, hey kids! Sorry this is all a bit of a whirlwind of activity today, but things have been moving awfully quick. We're headed to the Gym now, and Milo you'd better be ready, because Marcus is planning to brief you on the specifics of this whole shebang as you ship out to Celestic. Meanwhile, we get to have a girl's night, right you two?"

"Yeah", Kara gave a genuine attempt at a smile, while Amaya just stared, almost offended by the idea of a 'girls night'.

Gardenia noted their reactions and smiled from the front seat;

"Kara, it's okay. I totally get how you feel. I promise we can talk about it tonight, okay? And yes, Amaya you're going to have to deal with talking about boys with other girls for a night. I'm sure it won't be as awful as you make it out to be."

That was about all the conversation they had time for as the car screeched to a halt in the Gym parking lot. They didn't even get to the door before Marcus came out, duffel bag in hand, and grabbed Milo;

"Thanks for picking them up, Dee. I'll see you when we get back…and I _promise_ we will come back. Come on, bro, time's wasting."

Marcus gave his girlfriend a quick kiss, and Milo took the hint, embracing a still-unsure Kara and saying;

"I'll be back soon, Kara. Promise. You'll see."

He even gave Amaya a hug, though she just stiffened up like a board and frowned. That was all he had time for, as Marcus half-dragged him to a car that had just pulled up and was waiting for the two brothers. The Hearthome Leader ushered Milo hurriedly into the back seat before climbing in after him.

"Alright. To the airport please; quick as you can get us there."

The driver nodded and Marcus at last turned and greeted his little brother properly.

"Whew. Hey, Milo. Thanks for being a trooper about all this."

"Sure, but…I don't even know what _this_ is."

"I know, bro, I know. Trust me, I'll explain everything soon enough. If it's any consolation, you're to be sent in only as emergency backup if one of our units needs unexpected reinforcements."

 _One of our units? Reinforcements?_

Marcus wouldn't say much more until they were safely on the plane to Celestic Town. Somehow, likely through connections within the Order of Shadows or simply because of his status as a Gym Leader, Marcus had procured two first-class tickets with a decent amount of privacy. It was enough that he was at last able to speak freely about what was coming.

"Here's the lowdown, Milo. Months ago, some of our operatives documented a Spirit League base of operations just north of Celestic, nestled into a crook near the base of Mt. Coronet. At the time, it was enough for us to just keep an eye on them and make sure they didn't cause trouble. Now, though, they've grown far too bold. Attacking you was the last straw. Shadow Master Karen and her two chief advisors unanimously agreed to strike back at this base with everything we've got."

"Just how big an operation is this going to end up being, anyway? Are we talking tens of people, or thousands?"

Marcus gave a dark chuckle, "Certainly not thousands; such a large conflict couldn't be kept hidden, no matter how hard we tried. Probably a couple hundred people, all told."

Hundreds. Hundreds of people were about to go into battle over the attack on Milo. Not only that, Milo himself was to be one of them, albeit one of the last of them to actually get involved.

"Another thing", Marcus pressed on, "you'll only bring Azura with you into the actual fight. That's kind of the unspoken rule; anyone in the battle – on either side – only brings one Pokémon."

Milo frowned, "That seems kind of…civilized. What happened to all's fair in war?"

"Truth is, if we thought we could bring more without the battle being noticed by outsiders, we would do it in a heartbeat. But it's just not reasonable. We may hate one another, but both the Order and the Spirit League have a vested interest in not being discovered. That's why it's for the best if everyone involved keeps a one-to-one ratio between Pokémon and humans in battle."

The more they talked, the more Milo was able to wrap his mind around what was about to go down. As he came to understand the operation, and demystify it within his mind, he felt ever so slightly more confident about his involvement in it. He was still terrified, of course, but even a small bit of confidence was better than none at all.

After they landed, there was yet another unmarked vehicle waiting at the Celestic airport for the two brothers. This car brought them speedily to a place out in the middle of nowhere, north of the small town and right up near the base of the great mountain that towered over Sinnoh. Night had already fallen, so Marcus produced a flashlight and led Milo down a dirt path for about a quarter mile.

There he motioned silently for his brother to stop. Marcus, saying nothing, released Absol and tapped the back of his hand. Milo gulped as the insignia of the Order of Shadows glowed on his brother's fist.

 _Okay, okay…This is real, this is happening. I'm about to be a part of this. Okay, okay, don't panic, just breathe, be cool…_

A tinkling laugh sounded from further down the path. Out of the darkness in front of them emerged a stunning woman flanked by two powerful-looking men. The woman, who wore a low cut yellow shirt and gray pants, walked calmly up to Marcus and embraced him;

"Ah, here is our final field general. Glad you made it, Marcus darling."

Milo watched in silent confusion as his brother respectfully bowed his head and placed his glowing hand over his chest;

"Shadow Master Karen. A pleasure, as always. I've come as requested. This is Milo, my little brother."

Karen – or Shadow Master Karen as she was apparently called – seemed to notice Milo for the first time.

"But of course! The star of the hour himself; the reason for the season, as they say. Milo, it's good to meet you at last. Your brother has always spoken so highly of you, and you've done a great deal to impress already."

Hesitantly, Milo mimicked his brother's sign of deference, bowing his head and placing a hand over his chest.

"Umm, Shadow M-master Karen…"

"Oh, look at you! Good, he's a quick learner. Straighten up now dear, there you go, and let's make introductions properly."

Milo had been trying to place this Karen woman, and at last it hit him. Before he could stop himself, he blurted out;

"Wait! Aren't you from-"

"Yes", she preempted his question with a knowing smile, "I'm the Dark type master of the Johto Elite Four. Or, shall we say, that's my day job. Speaking of Elite Four, you may recognize my two chief advisors here. They serve directly under me, like admins in any other organization. This is Grimsley of Unova", she motioned to the pale, black-haired man on her left, "and Sidney of Hoenn", the man on her right, "Now, I'm afraid that will have to do for now. Follow me."

Milo followed in awe. He had always looked up to his brother's status as a Gym Leader, and now he was being introduced to not one but _three_ Elite Four members! As they walked, each of the Order of Shadows leaders released a single dark type Pokémon, presumably the one they planned to use in the coming fight. Milo watched carefully as Marcus' Absol was joined by Karen's Houndoom, Grimsley's Bisharp, and Sidney's own Absol. With some small, boyish sense of pride, Milo reached for his belt and released Azura. Karen looked over her shoulder at the noise and remarked;

"Ah, so it's true. My, she is remarkable."

"I'll say", Sidney jumped in, "Absol here mentioned it to me the moment she came out. He's perceptive that way."

"Not to mention that remarkable blue color", Grimsley added quietly, "Simply exquisite."

Milo's blue Umbreon couldn't help but feel nervous and embarrassed in such company.

 _Okay…_ She spoke into her Trainer's mind, _They can go back to talking about what's coming up now…_

With little to no warning, the group emerged into the midst of a bustling campsite of sorts. An empty patch of woods was crawling with Trainers and Pokémon alike, all of them Dark types and members of the Order. Milo's eyes popped wide open at the sight. Marcus had warned him, but it was still unnerving to see literally hundreds of people making their way purposefully here and there, all bearing the same glowing, eerie insignia of the Order.

Milo was ushered into a tent and handed a black outfit with the same white logo.

"Get changed", Marcus ordered hurriedly, "I'm going to do the same, then we'll get the quick version of the plans. Make it snappy, bro, this party kicks off in a half hour."

Milo was so nervous and scared now that he sort of retreated inside himself and acted on autopilot. Silently, he changed into the black uniform of the Order of Shadows.

 _If it helps_ , remarked Azura from the corner, _you look very intimidating in that._

 _Thanks_ , he muttered in response, _but for now let's just aim for not peeing myself from fear._

 _That would be a good first step_ , agreed his Moonlight Pokémon, _One thing at a time, I suppose._

"Ah, you're ready", came Grimsley's smooth voice from the tent's entrance, "Come quickly or you'll miss the final briefing."

Milo stepped out of the tent, with Azura in tow, into the middle of a crowd clustered around a makeshift stage on which stood Shadow Master Karen. Gone was the easy, cool demeanor of before. She was all business now.

 _Now SHE looks intimidating_ , thought Milo. He was right; she wore a tight black outfit with stark white outlines that almost resembled Umbreon rings. Her blue-grey hair floated mysteriously about her face to give her almost a superhero – or perhaps supervillain – appearance, standing out sharply against the dark trees and the night sky above.

"My companions", she began gravely, "we have assembled to quell the ghostly threat of the Spirit League. They have committed the ultimate act of imbalance; they have dared to strike at one of our own, and they must be held accountable for such brash actions. Those going into battle have been assigned a squad number and a captain. Those in Squad 1 with me will lead the charge up the middle, flanked closely by squads 2 and 3, led by Marcus and Grimsley. Sidney's squad, number 4, will get around the back to prevent any escape. The rest of you will be deployed as needed in case of emergency. This emergency coordination effort will be led by Nanu. Captains, to me!"

The designated squad captains joined the Shadow Master and raised their fists, a gesture echoed by the Shadows all around Milo. He raised his fist too, and allowed the Order's symbol etched into his hand to glow with the others. Somehow, this brought him some barbaric sense of readiness. If he was to fight in a battle like this…then so be it. He would fight.

Just like that, the Shadows began forming into their groups, congregating behind their designated captains. At a nod from Karen, Sidney smirked evilly and led his group away to get in behind the Spirit League base. After giving him the allotted five minutes to be in position, Karen stood again on her platform and yelled, breathless with excitement,

"Order of Shadows…ATTACK!"

With a shout that shook the whole forest, the entire Dark army sprinted forward, Milo in their midst. He kept towards the back of his group, a close eye on the man called Nanu who ran grimly in front of them, a Krookodile at his side. As the sounds of yelling turned to those of explosions and Pokémon moves ahead of them, Nanu held up a fist and yelled authoritatively,

"Backup squad, HALT!"

There were about forty Shadows, including Milo, assigned to the backup squad. They had stopped on a hill overlooking the battle below, and Milo was entranced by the conflict raging in front of him. From their vantage point, Krookodile's unnaturally keen eyes could spot trouble from anywhere and communicate the danger to his Trainer. Nanu himself stood impassively beside his Pokémon, his face almost one of boredom. Spying Milo's wide-eyed wonder, he gave a humorless laugh;

"Shut your mouth, kid, or you'll start catching Cutieflies."

"S-sorry", squeaked Milo, "I've just never done this before. It's – I can't even tell what's happening."

"Hmph. Figures I get stuck with the rookie who can't read a battle."

Nanu's words were harsh, but Milo spent most of his time around Amaya, and knew how to recognize friendship by antagonism well enough. Nanu had a good heart underneath his dislikeable exterior.

"Look", pointed the Alolan Dark type master, "See that group of…well, chaos over there? That would be our lovely Shadow Master, mixing it up like she does best."

Milo followed the man's finger to spy a titanic wave of Dark power smash its way easily through a line of Spirit League grunts. It really did appear as if the League was scrambling against the sudden onslaught.

"It…looks like we're winning", ventured the young Trainer.

"Hah! If only it were that easy. Nah, just wait, punk, these Ghost-y folks will form up soon and then we'll see how this thing really shakes down. Besides, the Primals aren't out on the field yet. Once they show up, things will-hmm?"

He was interrupted by a look from Krookodile. The two veteran battlers, Nanu and his Krookodile, stared at one another in silent, mental conversation for a few seconds, before the kahuna whirled around suddenly;

"Backup squad, we're going in. I want…let's see…the ten of you, over there. You're with me. We're headed down to reinforce Grimsley, he's got the first Primal on his hands and he's losing ground. Let's go. You, you're second in command with that Honchkrow. If things look bad, send in another ten where they're needed."

The ten he had called for (Milo wasn't one of them) followed him down into the melee below. The new second-in-command (also not Milo) signaled her Honchkrow to get airborne.

 _I hope Marcus is holding up_ , thought the Jubilife Rookie.

 **Gardenia**

Back in the quiet safety of the Hearthome Gym, Gardenia was also silently pleading for Marcus' wellbeing. Still, for the sake of Kara, who was a nervous wreck, the Grass type Leader had to put up a strong front and wear the most convincing smile she could.

She set a tray down on the coffee table of the lounge area, where Amaya was watching professional battles on television and Kara was curled up on a couch, clutching onto a pillow for dear life as she fidgeted uncontrollably.

"Kara", Gardenia said softly, "try the coffee. It's fresh."

"Don't want coffee. Stomach doesn't feel good."

 _Milady Kara_ , came the telepathic voice of the girl's faithful Kirlia, _methinks that something warm and comforting could do your stomach a world of good. It does no good for you to be in such a state as this._

"Hey", Gardenia tried again, "I understand. You're scared for Milo because you love him. That's natural, but you have to make sure you're at your best so you can be here for him when he gets back, okay? Kara, tell me a story. What made you so interested in Milo, anyway?"

"Well", she gave a choked giggle, "he did save my life and keep my Pokémon from being stolen. That got my attention."

Gardenia moved next to the young Performer and wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, as the younger girl continued;

"But what really made me _like_ him was something about him that just seemed more…I don't know, real? He's just so honest and genuine all the time. He loves what he does and he does what he loves, I guess. I especially like that about him."

"I can relate", Gardenia was determined to keep that ghost of a grin from disappearing off of Kara's face, "I felt the same way about Marcus when we started hanging out. Those two really stand out somehow, I suppose. We're pretty lucky, you and I."

"Marcus is pretty lucky, too", answered Kara shyly, "you're really great, Gardenia. You're always there for him – and for us too. I…I really appreciate that."

The Grass type master pulled her young friend in close as the two comforted one another through their worries.

Amaya chose this moment to glance over at them from her armchair, saw the snuggling pair, and immediately announced,

"I'll be back, I'm going to find some pizza or something."

As she left, Kara whispered, half to herself and half to Gardenia;

"I just… _really_ hope they're alright. They _have_ to come back okay."

 **Marcus**

As far as he knew, Milo's backup unit was still safely tucked behind the back lines, but he himself was right in the thick of it. The third Primal, Keru, had charged straight at his unit from the outset, and he'd been desperately commanding his squad while singlehandedly dealing with the ghost-human and his Golurk for at least an hour now.

"Gah, Dark Pulse!"

Absol's timely intervention saved him once again from being struck by a ferocious Night Shade. Glancing around for a split second, he heard a yell, and spotted another of his troops crumpling under the intense onslaught of the now desperate Spirit League. Type advantage was allowing the Shadows to hold their own, but they were outnumbered four or five to one at this point.

Steeling himself, the Hearthome Leader fired a Dark Aura Sphere into the Golurk's leg, eliciting a roar of pain from the raging beast. He knew he could probably take out the Ghost type now if he pressed his advantage, but his first responsibility was to his troops. Taking the window of opportunity he'd made for himself, he screamed over his shoulder;

"Absol, buy me some time!"

He sprinted over to the downed Shadow, who lay gasping on the cold ground, and carried the man hastily to a tree some twenty meters away, laying him down there and saying;

"Hey! Hey, if you can hear me, just hang on! We'll win this and then you'll get the help you need. Stay strong!"

A Weavile came dashing out of the melee, and Marcus presumed;

"You're his Pokémon? Good; watch over him. Keep him safe and alive until we can come back for him, alright?"

"Weav", the Sharp Claw Pokémon nodded firmly.

As he turned to sprint back to the forefront for what felt like the hundredth time, Marcus yelled back,

"Make sure he makes it!"

Focusing his attention back in front of him, Marcus read the battle as he ran through it. His troops had sustained heavy losses; that was already the fifteenth Shadow he'd extracted out of the forty who had been assigned to him. Nevertheless, he was proud of the ferocity with which his remaining soldiers fought. He helped them as best he could, firing a Dark Aura Sphere here, or throwing a punch if the brief opportunity presented itself. Still, the real battle for him was right up at the front, holding back the tide of Ghosts as well as the Primal himself.

He arrived back at the front line just in time to see Absol get pummeled by the Golurk's Hammer Arm.

"NO! ABSOL! Get back, you monster!"

He sprang back into action with a Dark Aura-infused kick to the unsuspecting half-Ground type. Once he had its furious attention, he was immediately put on the defensive, trying to draw it away from his Disaster Pokémon.

"Captain Marcus!"

One of the Shadows came sprinting out of the chaos and stood beside him, adding her own attacks to his as she made a report;

"Message from the other squads, sir; prepare for trouble! Grimsley's Primal is headed this way! The others are fighting their way towards you to reinforce your position, but you'll have to hold back two of them until help arrives!"

Marcus' heart sank. He was at his wit's end keeping this one Primal from smashing through his troops, but now _another_ one was coming?

"Get me…AH!" He dodged a Shadow Ball by inches, "Get me any reinforcements I can get from the emergency squad!"

The woman nodded and was off, leaving the Gym Leader and squad captain to fend for himself and protect his soldiers.

"SOOL!"

 _I'm still in if you are, Marcus!_

Absol was back, by his side as always in the thick of battle. Infinitely grateful, he flashed his trusted partner a fierce smile, and responded across their mental link;

 _Alright! Let's give them hell, old friend! COME ON!_

They dove back into the fight with renewed spirit, but their numerical disadvantage was slowly but surely taking its toll. Within minutes, Marcus could count no more than dozen and a half Shadows remaining, and then came the sound he hated most of all;

" _Join me, my brother…Together we shall destroy this wretched Shade and his pitiful minions!_ "

The second Primal had arrived, with his Dusknoir close behind. His chest heaving, Marcus gave an almost animalistic roar and launched everything he could muster at this new foe.

The Hearthome Dark type master was a powerful battler, a true force to be reckoned with, but against two Primals and their Pokémon servants there was only so much that even he could do. Grimly, he realized he was slowly being forced backwards. Suddenly, from off to his right, came a new voice;

"MARCUS! I'M COMING!"

It was his little brother. Milo, of all people, was his backup! The thought both relieved and terrified him. He was scared, beyond anything else, that something might happen to his little brother. If he couldn't bring Milo back safely… he would never be able to forgive himself.

 _It's too late for that_ , Absol yelled mentally, _We need him now! Protect him by fighting with him!_

 _I – you're right. Let's win this damn thing and be done!_

"Milo! Bro, take the Dusknoir, I'll deal with the Golurk!"

"O-Okay!" Milo's face was white as a sheet, but Marcus saw him set himself, glance at Azura, and charge the Gripper Pokémon head-on before he had to refocus on his own battle with the Golurk.

What followed was fifteen minutes of pitched battle the likes of which Marcus had never even imagined. Looking back afterwards, he would never be able to recall just how he made it so long against such overwhelming odds; he and Absol were fighting their own exhaustion and injury just as much as their opponents' attacks.

Somehow, for fifteen minutes, they survived and fought viciously back tooth and nail against their foe, until one fateful Hammer Arm caught Absol straight through the midriff. It was a crippling, super effective blow, and Absol had no strength left to give. Marcus' oldest partner was beyond unconscious. Still the Golurk moved in, readying for the kill, encouraged by its ghostly master;

" _Yes, my glorious spirit! Destroy this repugnant creature, permanently!_ "

"ABSOL, NEVER!"

Marcus, heedless of his own life, charged in with a Dark Aura Sphere and took the hit himself, sending both he and Absol sprawling across the dirt, alive but not by much.

" _And now the other_ ", hissed the Primal, turning his Golurk to join in the battle between Milo and Dusknoir.

Within seconds, what had been an even fight between the Jubilife Trainer and the third Primal became a complete thrashing, as Milo and Azura disappeared under a barrage of Shadow Ball and Hammer Arm attacks.

His senses muffled, his brain foggy, Marcus vaguely heard Azura cry out in agony as hit after hit landed, and then heard some kind of almighty scream from…from Milo.

 _No, no, no…_ the Gym Leader would have given anything to save his brother, but he couldn't physically move, _No! Milo! NOT MY BROTHER! NOOOOO!_

He tried everything, but his mouth wouldn't even move for him to scream aloud. All he could do was hold his eyes open to at least look at the death match his brother was losing.

He could see nothing but attacks pummeling the spot where Milo presumably stood, unable to defend himself.

 _Looks like…Milo and Amaya's story…will just be Amaya's story now…I'm so sorry, bro…_

Just as the Primals seemed satisfied that their victim was decimated, something within the cloud of damage seemed to push back.

There, looking nothing like himself, was Milo, crouched protectively over the prone form of his shiny Umbreon. As Marcus watched, dumbfounded, his brother began to glow…black. It was some strange kind of flame-like radiation that gave off the deepest, darkest, most aggressive blackness Marcus could imagine. It was terrifying to behold, but his eyes were riveted to the spot.

" _What is this?_ " Even the Primals were hesitant of this new development," _What monstrosity has taken this wretched Shade?_ "

Then, Milo's body began to rise off the ground. His eyes were pure, shimmering, angry white, and they glared with unfathomable hatred at the Primal spirit-men.

Then, the possessed Milo spoke, and when he spoke he seemed to have three voices in one;

" **You are the monstrous one here, defiler of this world!** "

Milo's own voice was there, but it was surrounded by a sly, spiteful high-pitched tone and a deep, booming voice below it. Milo seemed half-limp, as if he was being held up not by his own power but by something else which had simply grabbed him by the armpits and hoisted him off the ground;

" **Spawn of Giratina; know that we are ZOROARK, and we are YVELTAL! You and your evil ilk will RUE THIS DAY! RETURN THE DISTORTED HELL FROM WHICH YOU CAME!** "

Milo's hands raised up, and a massive, roiling sphere of pure Dark power formed.

" _Run, brothers, RUN!_ "

The Primals both turned to flee, but the possessed form of Milo was faster. An attack that could only be described as a Dark Hyper Beam on steroids pulverized the nearest Primal and his Dusknoir.

They were not blown back, exploded, or even knocked out. When the beam subsided they were simply…gone. They had been destroyed so utterly that they had disintegrated. True to their words, the power of the two Dark legendary Pokémon had sent one of the most powerful Ghost users in the world straight back to Giratina's Distortion World.

Then, suddenly, there was silence. Across the battlefield, Shadow and Spirit alike had stopped in awe and fear at the impossible events playing out before them.

As his eyes finally began to close of their own accord, and his brain started to shut down, Marcus had time for one last thought;

 _That Milo…He really is something special, isn't he?_

 **Gardenia**

This was what she'd been afraid of. For so long, she'd known about Marcus' secret involvement with forces that seemed too crazy to be true, and now she was the one who had to sit by his bed and watch over him as he slowly healed. Currently, her boyfriend was asleep, thankfully.

She shuddered as the horror of that initial shock washed over her yet again. The day after he'd left, a grim-looking group of people – Milo among them – had rushed an unconscious Marcus into the Hearthome Gym, anxious to hide him from anywhere public. It had now been three days, and they were hopeful that he could be at least fit enough to return to his duties as Gym Leader in another two weeks.

The story they'd been given about the events near Celestic made for an impossible story that Gardenia only believed because she heard it from first hand witnesses. It seemed that Milo and Marcus were nearly done in by some freakishly strong Ghost-type Pokémon, but at the last minute Milo had been…had been _possessed_ by both Yveltal and Zoroark and had snatched both victory and revenge from the jaws of demise. Even Milo didn't recall the last crucial minutes of the whole thing, Azura had been the one to describe it in all its horrific detail.

"Grruhhh…"

"Marcus! Oh, Marcus, shh, don't move, don't move…"

She snapped back into caretaker mode. Looking around, she spotted Kara and Milo passing by and called them,

"Oh, hey you two! Help me out here, real quick!"

Milo was still recovering as well, and was quite fragile. He was only able to walk with the support of his devoted girlfriend who, after hearing everything that had happened, was infinitely grateful that he was even alive.

The young pair walked into Marcus' room, and Kara set Milo safely in an armchair before rolling up her sleeves and asking briskly;

"Alright, how can I help, Dee?"

"Grab me that roll of bandages over there, I'm going to change these while he's already awake."

With the Performer's timely assistance, Gardenia made quick work of the bandages, cleaned her boyfriend's healing wounds, and sat back, talking softly to him;

"I know it hurts, Marcus, I know…just hang in there, you'll be fine soon, alright?"

"Dee", he muttered, "told you…I'd come back…I'll always come back…to you…"

Tears formed in her eyes at the words, and she cradled his head, completely forgetting that Kara and Milo were still there;

"I believe you, I do…But this time you cut it really close. Don't you ever do that to me again…please…"

"Had to", the Hearthome Leader frowned, "Milo was…gonna get hurt real bad."

With that, Marcus faded back out, and Gardenia could do nothing more than hold his hand and weep silently.

"Hey", a soft hand rested on her shoulder, "You know he's going to make it."

Their roles had been reversed now. Kara was comforting her. She hated that she needed the younger girl's help, she'd much rather be giving the help than receiving it, but right now she _really_ needed the encouragement.

"I know", she responded quietly, "but I'm just so…afraid of what could've happened."

"I understand", Kara nodded, slipping and arm around the older girl's shoulders, "I feel the same way. But if he didn't do this, didn't help others, he wouldn't be Marcus. Right?"

The Eterna Leader gave a sad chuckle, "I suppose you're right, Kara…I hate when he scares me like this, but I'd never want him to be anything other than himself…Thanks for reminding me."

-o-

For two weeks, it seemed like almost nothing happened. It was agonizingly slow, waiting for both brothers to make their way back to full strength. Gardenia returned quietly to her Gym every few days to look after it, but Kara and Amaya were almost totally sequestered in the Hearthome Gym. Surprisingly, the news networks never seemed to report the fact that the Gym Leader hadn't been seen publicly in over ten days (Milo pointed out that someone working at the major news outlets was more than likely a member of the Order, actively suppressing the story and directing media attention elsewhere).

It took a week for Marcus to be able to leave his bed, and another two days after that for him to return to training. Still, despite everything that had happened, Marcus gradually got back to his old self, and had not forgotten the plans he'd made for his little brother's Gym challenge.

 **Milo**

"What do you mean, 'different rules'?"

Milo was incredulous at his older sibling, who had just informed him that he'd be fighting under a different format to the usual Gym challenge.

"I mean what I say, bro. I'll fight Amaya like normal, three on three with my Gym team, but you get the special treatment. One of my Pokémon versus six of yours; I'll give you three guesses which of mine I'm going to use."

"…You're going to use Absol on me, aren't you?"

"Hey, good job! You got it in one guess! Consider it payback for crashing my date with Gardenia way back in Eterna. Besides, you've been cruising through us Leaders far too easily; I have to stick up for the honor of Sinnoh's Gym Circuit!"

"…Or you could just fight me fair and square", grumbled the younger brother sullenly. He didn't fancy his chances against Marcus' fearsome Absol, even with all six of his Pokémon. With that bombshell of news dropped, the Dark type Leader turned on his heel and walked off;

"Have fun planning and training, bro! You'll need it! You've only got a couple days left to prep, after all!"

Milo swore he heard a cackle from his brother as he disappeared down the hallway.

 _Shoot_ , he thought, _there goes all the planning I'd already done._

So, with only two days until his Gym battle against Marcus, Milo was back to square one. He would have liked to have all the time in between to train, but the next day was Kara's next Showcase, and his girlfriend was beyond excited for him to watch her; apparently her freestyle routine was inspired by their recent adventures.

By the time the Performance was at hand, Milo's brain was so distracted it was a wonder he made it to his seat without getting lost in the stadium.

 _Azura first? No, Drake first, Azura in the middle…unless I go with Blaze, then Jet, and save Azura for the end? Gah, what's the point, I'm never going to beat freaking Absol!_

 _You don't know that_ , Azura reminded him from his lap as they waited for the first round of the Showcase to start, _At least try to be positive about it. You do have an Infernape and a Gabite. Not to mention me._

 _Yeah, you're right_ , Milo tried to summon some shred of hope, but his task was beyond daunting. With a shake of his head, he forced himself to pay attention to the stage below.

"Ladies and gentlemen", began the announcer, "we have before us a splendid occasion! The third Sinnoh Rookie Showcase!"

Slouched in the seat next to Milo with her arms crossed firmly over her chest, Amaya scoffed;

"Pfft. That's a fake Kalos accent if I've ever heard one."

"Yup", Milo nodded, "points for effort, though."

"For this first round, our lovely Performers must win a simple game of…Find the Scraggy! As you can see, the stage is covered in holes and crevices, and we will also be turning out the stage lights after the starting whistle! Four Scraggy have been released into the field, and so the four Performers who manage to catch one will advance to the freestyle round!"

"Wow", Milo raised an eyebrow, "they must really be desperate for the League's support on these Showcases; they're trying _really_ hard to theme these things after the host city's Gym type. I mean, 'find the Scraggy in the dark'? Really? Still, Kara's got Florence, she'll be fine."

The flamboyant master of ceremonies had a bit more left to say;

"This will be an exercise of trust on the part of each Performer; they are not allowed to enter the field or speak to their Pokémon at all. Each contestant may use two Pokémon. Once again, the first four Performers to catch a Scraggy will advance! Performers, you have two minutes to choose your teams!"

 **Kara**

The Floaroma Performer was intent on making the most of her given two minutes. She'd figured that, since the Showcase was in Hearthome, she would be doing something related to darkness. Accordingly, she'd practiced with Florence on using her psychic abilities to locate things without the aid of eyesight. The idea of two Pokémon working without the aid of their Trainer was a new one, but she hoped it would play in her favor, as she had more faith in her team that most of her peers.

"Alright, guys", she instructed Florence and Verdante, "here's the plan. I can't help you once this starts, and we're not going to cheat by using telepathy. Florence, get to the middle, or wherever you can get the best, umm, visibility. You know what I mean. Guide Verdante mentally so the other teams don't hear you. Verdante, don't get fancy; when Flo tells you where to find a Scraggy, just get there as quick as you can. Looks like our planning time's up. Ready, guys?"

Breathless but confident, Kara watched with pride as her two Pokémon took up position around the edge of the arena, which was indeed a rough, rocky surface with plenty of nooks and crannies for hiding.

As the bell sounded, the stage lights dropped to almost nothing. Instantly, all the Pokémon seeking the four Scraggy jumped frantically out to begin their search. There was an awkward pause as the only sounds anyone heard were muffled scratches, thuds, and the occasional yelp. At last, Kara heard, in her mind, Florence screaming ecstatically;

 _Ah, Verdante! Directly in front of you! Yes! Oh, apprehend him! Quickly, catch him that we may advance! YES!_

Seconds later, Kara's faithful Leafeon came trotting out of the darkness with a very upset-looking Scraggy clutched gently in her jaws.

"It seems the lovely Miss Kara is the first one to advance!"

As the other Performers waited desperately for their teams to return triumphant, Kara retreated to the staging room and congratulated her team;

"Oh my gosh, that was so fast! You were brilliant, you two!"

 _I'm so very glad you approve, milady Kara!_ Prim as ever, Florence was glowing with pride at her success, _I must admit, excelling in such a creative way has given me quite a rush of emotion._

"Feeee Leafeeooooon!"

Kara didn't need telepathy to communicate with her first-ever Pokémon; Verdante had full confidence in her Trainer, and was ready to take on the freestyle performance they had so painstakingly planned and rehearsed.

Truth be told, Kara was more excited for this performance than any she had yet assembled. By the time it was her turn in the second round, she was beside herself, not with nerves or anxiety but anticipation. She couldn't wait to show off what felt like a part of herself.

 **Milo**

As Kara rose up onto the stage, her eyes closed, her face a picture of serenity, Milo was already breathless. He couldn't help it. Amaya, who could always be relied on for a dose of reality, poked him and said,

"Hey, lover-boy. Isn't that the same dress she wore at the last Showcase?"

"Whu-hmm? Oh, I guess so, I don't know. Yeah, maybe."

At first, the performance was Kara twirling some grass ribbons picturesquely produced by a dancing Verdante, who pranced gracefully about the stage in perfect sync with her Trainer. Then, from the side of the stage burst Zexon, using Acrobatics and Night Slash to make his entrance both dramatic and intimidating. The powerful Scizor began to cast Flash Cannon attacks at Kara and Verdante, and the "brave defenders" fought back using Verdante's Leaf Blade to slice and deflect the incoming Steel attacks.

"Hmm", Milo finally understood, "I think Kara's performance is actually a story."

As the 'battle' on stage raged engagingly back and forth, with Kara jumping and twisting this way and that to dodge the attacks of the 'evil, vicious Scizor', Amaya shot him a questioning look;

"What kind of wacky story involves a dance battle with a Scizor?"

"No, don't take it literally, 'Maya – whoa!" Pyro had just galloped onto the stage to join his attacks to Zexon's, as one of the 'bad guys', "See how she wore the dress from Veilstone? And how she started off using just Verdante? That's probably on purpose to represent her time in Veilstone. Zexon and Pyro are like when Team Rocket attacked her. I wonder if Florence is going to save her, like Azura and Blaze did?"

"Hmph. I guess I get it. Pretty clever, if that's what she's up to."

As Amaya spoke, Zexon launched an X-Scissor that appeared to actually hit Kara, drawing a gasp from the onlookers. As best Milo could tell, it was a low-powered attack that was controlled the whole way by a still-hidden Florence. Still, it was a bold move.

The result was even more impressive; the X-Scissor was allowed to slice straight through Kara's old dress – to reveal an entirely separate outfit underneath! Milo raised an eyebrow in evident confusion; Kara now had on a white and black t-shirt, black cargo pants, and as he watched, a black beanie with an orange stripe floated from her back pocket to rest perfectly on her head.

 _Why does that look familiar?_ Milo just couldn't place it…until Amaya burst out in hysterics next to him.

"HAHAAA! AH, that's _too good_! Oh snap, Milo, _look_! She's – haha – she's dressed up like _you_!"

He quickly looked down at his own outfit. Sure enough, he was wearing his favorite hoodie – white at the top and fading to black at the bottom – and black cargo pants that cut off at his shins. Hesitantly, he reached up and felt his hat on his head, the hat with his favorite orange stripe around its base. It was true, Kara had mimicked him. His heart shot into his throat in embarrassment, and he felt his face get hot and red.

Still, the show must go on, as they say, and Kara was still in the midst of a stunning freestyle performance. On stage, 'Milo' began launching attacks (psychic blasts provided by Florence that appeared to come from Kara) back at the now-retreating Zexon and Pyro. After a brief but elaborate struggle, the two designated 'bad guys' fled the scene, and Kara resumed dancing about in celebration, now using both Verdante's Grass moves and Florence's Psychic abilities to make effortlessly beautiful displays as she floated about angelically amidst it all.

Milo found it odd to watch a beautiful, female version of himself dancing about on the stage, but everyone around him seemed to think it was brilliant.

Before too long, Zexon and Pyro jumped back out and attacked yet again. Milo grimaced as he realized that this must be Kara's portrayal of the attack near Pastoria. This reenacted battle was much fiercer and more tightly coordinated than the first. Attacks were missing by mere inches here, there, and everywhere, and Milo almost jumped out of his seat on more than one occasion, convinced that one of Kara's Pokémon had made a mistake and was about to hit her for real.

At last, after an enthralling performance, Milo noticed Florence step back near the back of the stage. At the same time, Verdante leapt dramatically out in front, and Zexon launched another Flash Cannon, while Kara's Ponyta added an Ember. Milo watched carefully, as Kara leapt out in front of the two oncoming attacks.

 _Oh…This is me jumping out to save her from the Dusknoir…_

No doubt relying heavily on Florence's abilities, The Ember and Flash Cannon collided in a brilliant display of makeshift fireworks, leaving glittering silver particles floating through the air. Kara herself was flung back and hung limp in midair. It felt like the entire crowd was holding their breath, and then Milo noticed something and nudged Amaya excitedly;

"Oh! Hey, 'Maya, look! Flo's got a pair of headphones! It's time for your big entrance!"

"What? NO. No, oh, no, no! How are _headphones_ my thing? Out of everything about me, it's the _headphones_?"

Sure enough, the big, black headphones came to rest on Kara's head, and she 'came back to life', and gave a mighty yell, pointing dramatically at the 'bad guys';

"HYAAAH!"

Verdante and Florence attacked ferociously, beating back Zexon and Pyro within seconds. Finally, Kara stood herself emphatically in the middle of the stage, flanked by her Leafeon and Kirlia and cried;

"Aurora Veil, Morning Sun!"

From offstage, Madame and Frost complied wonderfully, and a warm radiance shone down on an ethereal rainbow light show all around the Floaroma Performer, as she struck one last pose.

The crowd all but erupted with noise. What class! What elegance! What skill from a Rookie Performer in Sinnoh, of all people! The creativity to tell a story, the boldness to simulate a battle! It was unheard of, and it was BRILLIANT! The raucous applause lasted a solid minute or two before Amaya noted;

"Geez, it's a good thing she went last. Imagine following that."

There was an audience vote, of course, to determine the winner, but it was a joke. Kara won by more than a landslide, and was duly awarded the Princess Key; her third in as many Showcases.

 **Kara**

She was smiling uncontrollably as she got changed back into her normal attire in her designated changing room. How could she not? Her biggest performance had gone _perfectly_! Well, not entirely without a hitch; one or two of Pyro's attacks had come a lot closer than they were supposed to, and Florence had nearly lost her Psychic hold while Kara was dramatically floating limp after sacrificing herself to save Verdante, but they had all recovered and nobody knew the difference! She was _so_ relieved that-

 _Knock, knock_

"Huh? I-is someone there?"

"No", a voice called back, "just knocking for the fun of it! Can I come in?"

Kara knew the voice in an instant, and she answered with disbelief;

"Oh! S-Serena! Yes, of course, come on in!"

Kara's famous older cousin came dashing in and embraced her tightly;

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, little Kay! That was so awesome!"

"Thanks, but I – I can't believe you're here! What are you doing in Hearthome?"

Serena was beaming at her younger cousin; whatever her news was, it seemed she really couldn't wait to deliver it.

"Actually, I'm here to offer you a way forward as a Performer!"

"A - a way forward? Wait, do you mean…?"

"Yep!" Serena squealed with happiness and embraced her cousin, "I brought a pre-contract for next season with me! You have the chance to be a semi-professional Performer with the Kalos Performer's Association!"

"K-Kalos? No way, I got a contract offer from _Kalos_?!"

Verdante, who knew how much this meant to her Trainer, began jumping for joy, and Florence was gushing with the same joy that Kara felt;

 _Milady Kara, how truly delightful! It would seem that your marvelous efforts and successes have brought you the rich rewards you so justly deserve!_

Kara couldn't believe the chance in front of her, but...suddenly a sobering thought occurred to her.

"Serena...is this a now-or-never offer?"

Serena gave a knowing smile. She recalled an almost eerily similar conversation between herself and Palermo all those years ago, during her Rookie season…

"Normally, Kara, yes. It would be a take-it-or-leave it deal. But luckily for you, you've got me. I remember having to make that choice; I could either continue traveling with Ash, or leave him behind for the sake of my career."

Kara was hugely relieved. Serena was to her the same kind of mentor and idol that Marcus had always been to Milo.

"Heh, you read me like a book, Serena. I know I haven't known Milo all that long, but we've gotten really close, with everything that's happened. I just don't think I could leave that behind right now. Y-you said the contract would be for next season?"

"That's right. It _just so happens_ – you're welcome – that your contract would begin about one month after the Lily of the Valley Conference ends."

Kara was absolutely breathless with shock. Her dream had just materialized in front of her with a beaming smile and a familiar face. It was too much to take in.

"I-I don't know what to say…"

"How about 'Yes, Serena, I'd love to come perform in Kalos with you next season'?"

Kara laughed aloud and hugged her famous cousin tightly, crying happy tears into the young woman's shoulder;

"Y-yes, of course I'll go! Oh my gosh, Serena, thank you so much, you have no idea how much this means to me!"

"Well", Serena answered kindly, "I think I might, but all the same, I'm so glad you're happy. Welcome to your new career, Kara. I think you'll go far."

Unfortunately, Serena couldn't stay long; she'd flown out alone and had to fly back to Kalos almost immediately to be back in time for her next Master Class Showcase. So, once Kara signed her pre-contract agreement (the real contract would come later, once the season was closer), Serena gave her one last hug and a final congratulations before heading out.

"Competition is stiff this year", she'd remarked as she left, "Aria is trying hard for one last big win before she retires to be a producer like Palermo, and Shauna has been hot on my heels lately as well."

Still, Kara was bubbling with excitement and talked Milo's ear off about it the entire rest of the evening. Many of the details and speculations went straight over his head, but he was at least kind enough to pretend to pay attention, which was more than could be said for Amaya, who commented, "That's great, congrats" before stuffing her favorite pair of headphones on her head and returning to her training.

Milo really was excited for his girlfriend; she'd been given a marvelous opportunity. Still, he was hard-pressed to think about anything but his upcoming battle against Marcus' fearsome Absol.

He trained as much as he could that evening, but the nerves wouldn't leave, like they usually did. He was all but trembling by the next morning when it was time for Amaya's Gym battle.

Seated in the stands, he gave his head a shake to try and pay attention, trying to support his friend as he knew he should;

"This is a three-versus-three battle between Marcus the Leader and Amaya the challenger! Trainers, are you ready?"

Both of them nodded, and the battle began. As was tradition, Marcus made the first call;

"Honchkrow, get in there!"

"Thought so", commented Amaya, "Leon, let's do this. Start with Swift."

As the Spark Pokémon launched the attack, Marcus responded quickly;

"Pursuit, Honchkrow!"

Amaya had gambled perfectly; she was betting that Marcus loved that trick at least as much as Milo did, and she was ready for it.

"Turn and Ice Fang!"

Honchkrow squawked in surprise and pain as Leon anticipated its arrival perfectly and landed a solid Ice Fang.

"Steel Wing from there, Honchkrow!"

Leon had assumed his opponent would back off, and was unprepared for an immediate counter; but two could play that came. As the Luxio was still tumbling over himself from the Steel Wing, Amaya called,

"Now Thunderbolt him!"

"Pursuit again!"

"Thunder Fang!"

It was a quick series of events, but it ended up with Marcus falling for the same trick as he had the first time. Honchkrow avoided Thunderbolt easily, but took another hit from Thunder Fang instead of landing Pursuit, and the Big Boss Pokémon was looking rather disheveled.

As Honchkrow retreated to a safe distance, Marcus waited for Amaya to make the next move. She didn't have much patience for mind games, so she took the initiative she was given;

"Get in there, Leon! Swift, and Thunderbolt!"

"Now, Sucker Punch!"

Leon went flying as Marcus laughed triumphantly;

"That's the thing about Dark types; we've always got one more trick up our sleeve!"

 _Is that so_ , thought Amaya, _well, I've got plenty up my sleeve, too._

"Let's go all out, Leon. Rapid Thunderbolt!"

This was part of Amaya's effort to diversify her strategy. If an opponent was trying to play the evasion game, just launch every attack possible until _something_ hits, and go from there.

Sure enough, Honchkrow maneuvered its way through the first two Thunderbolts, but was struck by the next two before finally going down.

"Honchkrow is unable to battle, Luxio is the winner!"

Marcus narrowed his eyes and shifted his stance. He was at his most dangerous when he was backed into a corner, and he knew it.

"Hmm. Well done, but you've got a ways to go. Let's change it up! Sneasel, you're in!"

"Sneasel? Uh, okay...Leon, return. Coral, let's do this."

Amaya was pressing the emergency button; Milo knew it, Kara knew it, and most importantly, Marcus knew it. For whatever reason, this hadn't been part of her plan.

 _Shoot_ , Amaya thought to herself, _how do I fight a Sneasel? Umm, what do I know, what do I know…Uh, they're fast. And they're part Ice. Ah, crap, out of time._

"Coral, start with Twister!"

"You'll have to do better than that! Aerial Ace, Sneasel!"

Impossibly fast, Sneasel all but disappeared before slamming its perfectly accurate Aerial Ace into Coral. Amaya was learning to think on her feet, but this required her to be at her absolute sharpest;

"Dragon Tail, now!"

It wasn't the strongest Dragon Tail ever, but it was at least fast enough to catch the retreating Sneasel and wallop it into the side of the arena.

"Don't let up! Water Pulse and Hydro Pump!"

If Sneasel had time to escape, Coral was facing a huge speed disadvantage. Sensing the urgency of her Trainer, Coral put extra venom into her Water Pulse, catching the Sharp Claw Pokémon as it tried to dash away. The Hydro Pump connected as well, and Amaya felt good about her chances, until Marcus finally got a command in;

"Icy Wind, and Aerial Ace!"

This time, Amaya took just too long to figure out the trick. Icy Wind dealt damage, but that wasn't the point. Its purpose was to blind Coral just long enough to get Aerial Ace in and cover a hasty retreat. It worked to perfection, and Sneasel landed both hits safely.

"Keep up the pressure, Sneasel! Dark Pulse!"

"Twister and duck!"

It wasn't the clearest of commands, but Coral understood well enough. She fired up a Twister and flattened herself to the ground as the Dark Pulse went safely above her.

"Get through and Hydro Pump!"

Using her long body to slide under the raging Twister, which the Ice type was fully occupied trying to dodge, Coral was able to get into point blank range and fire off a Hydro Pump that left Sneasel out for the count.

 _Unfortunate_ , thought Marcus as he recalled the Sharp Claw Pokémon, _I thought I'd be able to make more out of her confusion, there. Still, this ought to make her think._

"Alright, let's make this count! Houndoom, you're last up!"

This time around, Amaya's gut instinct got the better of her;

"Coral, you can still take this thing! Hydro Pump, now!"

Marcus crossed his arms and said nothing, as Houndoom dodged easily.

"Water Pulse, Coral. You can hit this thing."

"Feint Attack, Thunder Fang."

Another classic trap move, and Amaya had left Coral totally exposed. The Tender Pokémon cried out as Thunder Fang struck home, but Marcus wasn't done.

"Follow with Crunch, then away."

"Dragon Tail!"

Amaya really had only one strategy when opponents got uncomfortably close, and Marcus read it like a book. Houndoom got his Crunch in and leapt nimbly away from the attempted Dragon Tail.

"Okay, Coral, try Twister, and Hydro Pump."

Marcus had seen that one too;

"Twister's a cover, Houndoom. Get around, and Thunder Fang again."

Just like that, Coral went down in a heap, her body still crackling with electricity from the last Thunder Fang.

"Milotic is unable to continue, Houndoom is the winner!"

"Hmmm", Milo frowned as Amaya recalled her fallen Milotic, "She always makes that same mistake. It's becoming her Achilles heel. Still, she's got two left to work with, she should be alright."

"Alright", called the Twinleaf Trainer, "Granite, let's do this."

"Houndoom, Flamethrower!"

Marcus was trying to inflict damage from a safe distance, but Granite was ready to tank a few hits;

"Slam, straight through!"

"Gah! Move, Houndoom!"

Houndoom couldn't cancel his Flamethrower fast enough and was crushed underneath the massive Rock Snake for huge damage right off the bat. Still, he wasn't down yet.

"Get out of there and Crunch this thing for all you're worth!"

Houndoom wriggled its way unceremoniously out from under the Rock Snake, but Amaya knew she had the advantage; Houndoom didn't have any good moves for dealing with Rock types.

"Stay there, and Iron Tail."

Granite took a Crunch to the body, but was able to smash Houndoom with an Iron Tail in response, which left the Dark Pokémon dazed.

"Rock Tomb, and Slam again."

Houndoom was fast, but just not fast enough, as he was trapped by the super effective Rock Tomb and left helpless against Granite's second kamikaze Slam. The round was over. Granite had sustained significant damage, but had used his insane endurance to power through and deal reckless damage enough to knock Houndoom out quickly and efficiently.

The sizeable crowd applauded fervently; many of the watchers were tourists from other regions who were thrilled to experience firsthand the top notch battling for which Sinnoh was famous. Cameras seemed to be flashing from every direction as the two combatants shook hands in the middle of the field, and Amaya received her Shadow Badge.

"You're improving", commented Marcus, "I noticed you did a better job recovering, even if your snap decision skills could use some work. Congratulations on the win! Am I clear to post the battle footage?"

"Go ahead", answered Amaya, "And thanks for the advice."

As Amaya strode off to go heal her team, Marcus pointedly turned to where he knew Milo was seated in the stands and flashed his brother an intimidating smirk.

 _Okay…Okay…_ Milo was struggling to control his breathing.

 _Man, this is going to be insane…How am I supposed to beat Absol? Even with a full team, there's no way! Geez, this'll be really rough._

Normally, Azura would have the presence of mind to offer words of encouragement and help soothe her Trainer's nerves. This time, however, she was just as nervous as he was.

 _I'm really not sure about this either, Milo. Let's just…try not to make fools out of ourselves, I guess. Maybe we'll get lucky._

 _Yeah, right…_

All too soon, Milo's waiting time had come and gone, and it was time to step onto the field. Across from him stood his childhood hero, still smirking at him with confident ease. Marcus _knew_ this was a guaranteed win for him. He was doing this on purpose. Taking a shaky breath, Milo heard the announcer say;

"This will be a six versus one match! If the challenger can knock out the Leader's Pokémon, he wins! Trainers ready…Battle begin!"

"Absol, it's time."

 _Oh boy, there he is. There's Absol. It's now or never, Milo. Just stick to the plan._

"Drake, let's go! Start with Dual Chop!"

Drake was by far the bravest of Milo's Pokémon when it came to putting himself on the line for the sake of victory. He unquestioningly charged Absol, his claws glowing.

"Pursuit."

Azura was proud of her Pursuit, but Absol was on another level entirely. Drake was sent flying into the far wall with a huge thud.

 _Still…urgh…still good, Milo._

Almost hyperventilating at this point, Milo called out;

"Okay, Stone Edge!"

Marcus must have expected Drake to go down in one hit, because he certainly was _not_ prepared for the Stone Edge that struck Absol and sent the Disaster Pokémon stumbling back. Milo saw his brother's eyes narrow;

"Absol, Dark Pulse."

"Drake, DIG!"

Drake's battling instincts served him well; he was already halfway underground when Milo gave the order.

"Absol, jump! You know it's coming!"

Absol easily leapt over Drake's Dig attack, but Milo had a backup for that, based off the time he'd fought Amaya's Granite;

"Mud Shot, Drake, no time to wait!"

Mud Shot struck the retreating Absol, and Marcus somehow missed the trick in Milo's order. 'No time to wait' was the younger brother's hint to his Pokémon that he should launch another attack without waiting to be told. Drake responded perfectly, flinging himself bodily at Absol with a Steel Claw at the ready.

As Absol grunted in discomfort, Marcus retaliated swiftly, unhappy at how many hits Drake was landing;

"He's close enough now. No escape."

A huge Dark Pulse sent Drake crashing yet again into the wall. He was done.

"Gabite is unable to continue! Challenger, your second Pokémon!"

 _Shoot_ , Milo was sweating now, _Absol's power is unreal! Okay, the plan, Milo, stick to the plan…_

"Jet, your turn! Get in there, bud!"

 _How'd we fare in round one?_ The Buizel asked tersely.

 _Better than expected, but he's just as powerful as we thought._

"Jet", he called aloud, "Aqua Tail! Be ready to move!"

"Pursuit", called Marcus calmly, "then follow."

Jet heard the call and his instincts took over. He launched the Aqua Tail, then whirled around and launched a Quick Attack straight into Absol's face as it came in for the Pursuit hit.

"Sol", the famous Dark type barked in surprise. That trick usually worked.

Jet used the momentary confusion to launch another Aqua Tail, and this one struck home. Absol flailed backwards and Marcus stepped in to recover the situation;

"Razor Wind. Be ready to respond."

Milo wasn't the only one who could signal his Pokémon without ordering a move. Jet was blown back head over heels for quite a bit of damage, and Milo tried to continue pressing the attack;

"Get back in close; Aqua Jet!"

But that was exactly what Marcus had hoped for. He nodded at his Dark type, and Absol preempted the Aqua Jet with a savage Sucker Punch that knocked Jet unconscious.

 _Damn!_ Milo cursed mentally, _One small mistake and I lose Jet…I'm already two down and it's like Absol's not even feeling our attacks!_

"Buizel is unable to continue! Challenger, your third Pokémon!"

"Ugh…Okay, okay! Blaze, you're up next! We need you, pal!"

Across the field, Milo could see Marcus' feet shift ever so slightly. A fully evolved, wicked fast Fighting type was exactly the kind of thing that could really give him problems, especially now that Absol had taken a few hits.

 _Still,_ the Leader reminded himself, _with the difference in power level this should be relatively straightforward._

"Prove your speed, Blaze! Mach Punch!"

"Meet it. Psycho Cut!"

"Now JUMP! Close Combat!"

Blaze knew this was coming; it was one of his favorite battle strategies. Bait the opponent out with a head-on challenge, and Milo called the jump switch eight times out of ten. Hungry for success, the Infernape gave a mighty leap, and came down in a flurry of fists and feet that pummeled the unprepared Absol far harder than he or his Trainer expected.

"No! Absol, Toxic! Then Razor Wind!"

Blaze had put a solid dent in Absol's health, but was unable to escape the poison that infected him before Razor Wind tossed him back like a rag doll, only to come crashing to the ground.

"No time to lose, pal", said Milo grimly, "Mach Punch, Low Kick."

"Sucker Punch, Absol."

Marcus had made another miscalculation. He presumed the Low Kick was intended as a follow-up move after the Mach Punch, but Milo and Blaze were on the same wavelength; Low Kick was the only real attack, Mach Punch was another fake move. As Marcus' Disaster Pokémon leapt in with a Sucker Punch, Blaze dropped acrobatically underneath it with the kind of agility only he could muster, and delivered a punishing Low Kick that brought Absol tumbling to the floor.

"Heat Wave, Blaze!"

He had but a moment, he knew, before Absol would be back in his face with power to spare, but that moment was all he needed. A mighty Heat Wave rocked the arena, and Absol got up slowly, with a noticeable grimace. Instead of closing the distance, Marcus opted to remain far away and let the Toxic take its toll.

"Dark Pulse, Absol."

"Move!"

Blaze dodged comfortably, but Milo knew the clock was ticking for his Flame Pokémon. Toxic was not a good thing to play around with. Blaze had maybe a minute or two left.

"Try Flare Blitz, Blaze!"

It was a powerful move, but Absol stood his ground fearlessly as the Gym Leader called;

"Psycho Cut."

The super effective move struck Milo's Infernape head on. That hit, along with the mounting damage from Toxic, at last brought Blaze tumbling to the ground for the last time.

 _Absol…actually looks tired now_ , Milo noticed. At last, a flicker of hope came to life within him. Maybe this wasn't so impossible after all.

 _If I can hurt him…I can beat him._

With renewed energy, he called his fourth team member, "Aurora, you're in! Just like we drew it up!"

 _Hah!_ The proud little Eevee yipped as intimidatingly as she could, _No scary Absol can scare me! I'm not afr…Oh, he's big._

 _He's tired, Aurora, we've done great so far. Come on, girl!_

Milo opted to let Marcus move first. The only way he would be able to rack up damage using Aurora would be to react perfectly to whatever Marcus tried to do.

"Flamethrower."

"Shadow Ball and move!"

Aurora leapt nimbly away from the oncoming Flamethrower and threw a Shadow Ball at her opponent. It hit, though it barely tickled the much stronger Absol.

 _That's okay_ , Milo encouraged his small Pokémon, _Any hit is a good hit in this fight._

"Again, Absol."

Milo knew better than to use the same trick twice;

"Aurora Protect! Then use Return!"

"Dark Pulse!"

Aurora's Return was a valiant effort after the second Flamethrower, but the moment she dropped her Protect, Dark Pulse slammed into her with brutal force. It was a one-hit knockout.

"Eevee is unable to continue. Challenger, your fifth Pokémon!"

Milo was still fired up. If only Ferra could get in a few hits, then maybe – just maybe – Azura stood a real chance at victory, despite all odds.

"Come on, Ferra! Let's give it everything we've got!"

As soon as his Riolu emerged, Marcus made his move;

"Another Dark Pulse."

"Ferra, dodge forward and Focus Blast!"

As the small Emanation Pokémon miraculously escaped Dark Pulse and launched a surprise Focus Blast, Milo kept right on going before Marcus could react;

"Follow that in close; Force Palm and Cross Chop!"

At last, he had grown overconfident in his excitement. Ferra managed a respectable Force Palm, but Marcus was more than capable of defending against his weaknesses;

"Psycho Cut, Absol."

Milo's face fell as he realized his mistake. It was too late. The super effective hit was enough to take Ferra out in one savage blow. Just like that, the battle was one on one.

 _Still_ , Marcus frowned, _I really didn't expect a Riolu to go in like that. I'll admit I'm impressed._

"Alright", Milo threw his final Pokéball, "it all comes down to this, Azura!"

Absol's chest was heaving, his face scrunched up in concentration. He hadn't expected to be pushed this hard, either.

"Absol, Razor Wind."

"Pursuit, Azura!"

"Ha! Pursuit!"

In a lightning fast sequence, Azura escaped Razor Wind, only to find that Absol had disappeared and preempted her Pursuit with his own! She was sent sprawling across the floor, but jumped back to her feet, ready to continue.

"Hmm. Dark Pulse, Azura!"

"Show them a _real_ Dark Pulse, Absol!"

"Quick Attack, Night Shade!"

This was a strategy Milo had recently invented. He knew his Pursuit trick would only work so many times; this new combo had almost the same effect, but gave him a new way to pull it off. He was pleased to see that it worked like a charm. As Marcus spent a split second too long trying to figure out what was coming, Azura zipped around to Absol's flank and walloped him with a Night Slash that sent him tumbling head over heels.

"Up, and Flamethrower!"

"Redirect it with Confusion!"

Azura's psychic blast was enough to send the powerful column of flame safely to her right, and Milo yelled,

"Dark Pulse, again!"

Before Absol could cancel his Flamethrower, Azura's Dark Pulse smashed into him face first. Marcus grimaced as he faced the very real possibility of losing this match. Azura was far stronger than she looked, and the combination of her ability and Milo's quick thinking made them vastly more resourceful than he'd counted on.

 _Come on_ , he reminded himself, _I've still got this. Just get it done, nothing fancy._

"Absol, Razor Wind!"

"Pursuit!"

It was the same combo as before, but Milo was caught unprepared, and had gone with his first knee-jerk reaction. This time, Marcus was ready to punish him for it;

"Turn and Night Slash!"

Azura cried out in pain as the attack plowed through her right before she could strike.

 _I – I can…still fight!_

His heart fluttering, Milo called one last desperate attack;

"Dark Pulse!"

 _This one's for real_ , Marcus knew, _Now we'll show what power means!_

"Dark Pulse!"

The two attacks collided and pushed against one another in the middle of the arena.

"BREEEE!"

"SOOOOLLLL!"

At last, power did indeed win out, and Absol's Dark Pulse came crashing through the shiny Umbreon. Nobody moved. As the air cleared, Marcus and Absol watched with bated breath. Azura gave an almighty effort to push herself upright.

In his mind, Milo heard her struggling to command her failing muscles;

 _I…I must – I can still…I…_

She was so close. Absol was thoroughly exhausted; Milo and his team were _so very close_ to achieving the impossible…But with a gasp, Azura's strength at last gave out.

Milo sank to his knees in defeat as Azura crumpled to the Gym floor, unconscious. He'd lost. He'd been swept. A six to zero loss in a Gym challenge.

"Umbreon is unable to continue! The victory goes to Marcus the Leader!"

The cheers from the crowd were rather subdued. The first match had been a real back and forth struggle, and the Rookie challenger had ground out an impressive win. But this second kid had been allowed the use of his whole team and still couldn't defeat a single Pokémon! Sure, he'd come close, but he'd gotten swept in a comprehensive performance by a frighteningly strong Leader.

 **Marcus**

Heedless of the crowd's reaction, Marcus strode confidently across the field to Milo, who was still on his knees, head in his hands.

"Hey. Bro. Milo."

His little brother stood up, but wouldn't – couldn't – meet his eyes. Wordlessly, Milo accepted his handshake before turning on his heel and trudging towards the exit, where Amaya and Kara could be seen worriedly waiting for him.

 _He'll be alright_ , Marcus told himself, _He's a big boy; he can take a loss. We all lose sometimes._

Shortly after the battle, still riding his high from the emotional victory over his little brother, the Hearthome Leader was filling out some 'official' Gym challenge paperwork in his messy back office when he heard his phone line ringing, and picked up. He was pleasantly surprised to see Gardenia's lovely face on the other side of the call.

"Hi, beautiful, what's up?"

His grin faded slightly as she failed to return his smile, instead giving him a look of disapproval,

"I saw your fight against Milo. That was pretty mean, you know that?"

"Ah, come on, that was the whole point! I had to take him down a peg! It was supposed to be a little mean."

"I get that, but you took it way overboard. I mean, you set him an impossible task, and if that wasn't enough, you let him get _this close_ to accomplishing it. Then you beat him. Publicly. You might actually have dented his career, Marcus."

"What? No, nobody expected him to win. This was just a statement on my part. I haven't dented anything."

He was feeling rather uncomfortable now, as his girlfriend's quiet logic began to click into place;

"Marcus, did you hear what I said? I saw your fight. Live. It was playing here in Eterna. Milo's not just a spot-filler on local news stations anymore; that battle was on some of the national networks. Not the major ones, but still, _national_ television. His first Gym battle with that kind of audience, and the invincible rookie gets swept by his older brother. Six to zero? That was excessive. I'm telling you firsthand from listening to the commentary, a lot of people are convinced that he's just a flash in the pan after seeing you thrash him."

"That seems like an exaggeration", argued the Dark type Leader, "They know better than to judge based on just one battle."

"Oh, do they?"

Gardenia turned to the computer screen next to her, and began furiously typing, looking for something. After a few seconds she opened a link on their call and let a video clip play. It was some of the 'armchair analysts' for SBBN2, watching footage from the last round of Milo and Marcus' battle. They had the very end of it on loop, and Marcus felt his heart sink as he watched Azura crumple to the ground again and again…

"Alright", said one of the commentators, "we'll give it to our panel; your overall thoughts?"

One woman on the couch responded coolly with a shrug, "Truthfully, I'm kind of disappointed. We'd been hearing from people with their ears to the ground that this Milo kid might be the next Elite-level Trainer, but to get swept like that-"

"Whoa, let's acknowledge what he was up against", jumped in one of her colleagues, "He was fighting well above his level there, that thing was a top tier Absol. Surely that excuses the loss?"

"Well", responded the first woman carefully, "for anyone else, it might. But from a Rookie who's supposed to be this invincible wonder-kid; a potential Champion-in-the-making type Trainer? You'd hope he could take out _one_ top Pokémon with his entire team to throw against it."

The rest of the commentators nodded sagely, and just like that the discussion was over.

"Right! Well, let's move on now to the Jubilife Semi-pro…"

The clip ended, and Marcus was, to say the least, crestfallen.

"...Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh' is right!"

He was shocked to hear the repercussions of his little demonstration. He wasn't usually the type to make such miscalculations, which made accepting this one all the more difficult. Gardenia wasn't letting him off easily either, out of concern for his brother;

"Have you even seen him or talked to him since the fight? They had his face on national television as he left, and it was _not_ pretty. You crushed more than just his team."

"Crap. Yeah, yeah, I get the idea...Okay, so maybe I messed up. I was just hoping to remind people that the Sinnoh Gym Circuit isn't a walk in the park! I mean, those two have just been trampling over everyone so far! Wake was the first one to beat either of them; that looks bad on our record."

"Marcus, your job is to evaluate Trainers who challenge you for a badge. If they are strong enough – and we both he's beyond strong enough – you _give them the damn badge_ ; that's how the system works! You aren't here to play some kind of numbers game; you aren't a public image consultant! If they have the raw talent to cruise through five badges, they deserve to do just that."

"I...I see your point", conceded the Hearthome Leader with a frown, "Still, though, is it so wrong to remind him that he's not invincible? Is it an awful thing to show him what losing a big match feels like? He's got to learn that eventually anyway."

"Now you're inventing justification for what you did", Gardenia shot back, "when we both know you did that because you wanted to beat your brother and you had this ridiculous idea of 'Gym Leader honor'."

Now truly frustrated, mostly at himself for causing this mess, Marcus at last caved in,

"Okay, fine! I owe him an apology. I should have found a better, quieter way to make my point. How exactly do you propose I make it up to him?"

"For starters, give him the badge. Publicly. Make it a big deal, and explain that even though he lost, he showed more talent than any challenger in years, etc. You know the whole bit. Lay it on thick. Make people understand that he almost took down your _elite level Absol_ with his rookie team, and you weren't going easy – because I know you weren't, and he still almost beat you. Fix his reputation, because _you_ broke it."

"Alright...I can do that. Dee, thanks for re-"

"I'm not done. The other thing you owe him is training. You need to offer to train him until he can do what you asked of him initially. Offer to train him – or better yet all three of them – for as long as they want."

Marcus balked at this. He would love to train his brother, but he was as busy as any other Gym Leader; he didn't have oodles of spare time to spend personally tutoring rookies.

"Dee, you know I can't realistically do that. I wish I could, but my schedule is all over the place."

"Fine", conceded the Grass type Leader, "but at least offer to let them stay at your Gym, use your facilities to train themselves, and let them ask you for advice when they want it. Deal?"

He sighed. He knew, deep down, that she was right. Having Milo stay and train would be fun, too, if his younger brother would take him up on the offer, but the hard part was admitting his screw up in the first place.

"...Deal."

Satisfied, Gardenia at last cracked a smile for the first time in their conversation.

"Now, was that so bad? I don't think so. Alright, you've got stuff to do, and so do I. I'll see you soon, right?"

"Of course", said Marcus with a tired wink, "I can't seem to stay away from you for long. Are you using Aromatherapy on me or something?"

"Wouldn't dream of it, dear", answered Gardenia, feigning offense before smirking, "Although maybe I should consider it...if it could 'convince' you to spend more time with me…"

"Hehe...okay, before you get any more creepy ideas, I'm going to go. Love you. See you soon."

He cut the line, and shook his head. Releasing Absol, more out of muscle memory instinct than anything else, he sighed;

 _I guess I really screwed this one up. I just didn't think it'd be such a big deal._

 _I'm sorry as well_ , chimed in his loyal Disaster Pokémon, _I should have anticipated this unfortunate turn of events._

 _Thanks pal, but this one really is on me. Dang...Hindsight's 20/20, but I really should've known better than to pull a stunt like that on the big stage. Well, time to make up for it._

With a wry grin, Marcus made a few well-placed calls to the local media, making the plans he'd promised. This done, he began trudging his way through the halls of his Gym towards his brother's guest room;

Soon enough, he arrived at Milo's door, and knocked hesitantly. From within, his younger brother answered in a small, hollow voice;

"...Yeah?"

"Milo", he began, "it's me, bro. I, uh, wanted to...apologize, I guess."

There was a pause from the other side of the closed door;

"Apologize?"

"Yeah. I put you up against Absol to prove a point, and I guess I misjudged the ramifications of my little stunt. Let me make it up to you?"

Another pause, and the door finally opened. He'd expected Milo, but it was actually Amaya who had let him in. Kara was there, as well, seated next to Milo on the bed. His little brother just looked...dead. Defeated. His face was blank, his head was down, and he was staring emptily at the carpet.

Kara shot the Leader a look that told him she wasn't best pleased with him to say the least, and Amaya seemed similarly prickly;

"Well, this ought to be good. Spit it out, Marcus."

"...I'm giving you the Shadow Badge, Milo."

Milo looked up, confused and still slightly hurt;

"What? No. I don't want your pity badge. I'm going to come back and win it, fair and square. If I have to beat Absol to do it, then I'll beat Absol. Somehow."

"Kudos for the commitment, bro, but I've already scheduled the press conference for tomorrow. I kind of realized; my job isn't just to win or lose. I'm supposed to judge whether you're strong enough to challenge the Conference, and I judge you more than strong enough. So you _have_ earned the badge, just not the same way as usual. Alright?"

Milo just looked at him for a while, and then said, still in the same defeated tone of voice;

"Sure. Fine. Whatever."

 _Crap, I'm sucking at this, it's not going well...Ah, just get through it, come on._

"One more thing, and then I promise I'll leave you alone. I think I can help you with that training you want to do. The Conference isn't for another nine months, so why not take a break and set up shop here at the Gym with me? As a way to say sorry for throwing you under the bus, you three can stay here and use the Gym to train as long as you want. I'll even help you – give you tips whenever I have time. Yeah?"

That certainly got the attention of the young Trainers. State-of-the-art facilities, for free, along with expert advice whenever they wanted, for as long as they cared to stay…

Milo looked at his friends, and asked;

"What do you guys think? I...kind of like it. I guess we could still travel to tournaments and Showcases and whatnot, just have the Gym as a home base, you know? Like he said, it is nine months until Lily of the Valley."

The three of them looked at one another, thinking along the same lines, while Marcus waited apprehensively. Slowly, Amaya nodded and said;

"Six months. I think that'd leave us enough time to finish the Gym Circuit afterwards."

Kara smiled in agreement, "I think that sounds good. Six months is plenty of time to stay here and really focus on training without distractions, too! I know my team could improve quite a bit if we had that kind of time. Milo?"

"...Alright. We'll take six months off of travelling and train here. So, I guess...apology accepted, Marcus."

At last, the familiar grin returned to Milo's face. It was time to train like never before.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **This is the single largest thing I've ever produced, and it got done within three weeks. I'm stoked about that. I did it that way because this is the grand finale to what I have in my notes as 'Part 1' of this story. Basically, we're halfway done! Thanks so SO much to all of you who have followed along this far, I'm beyond grateful to you! I'd love to hear your thoughts on the story as a whole as I move into the second half!**

 **General thoughts: Is this too long for one chapter? I really wanted to get it up, and this kind of grand finale mega-chapter felt like a good idea, but as always, I'm open to your input.**

 **Chapter thoughts: There are a lot of battles in here, and a lot of different types of battles, too. I hope they all came through as vividly as I had intended. There may be lots of questions surrounding the stuff that happened with the Order and the Legendaries, and I promise those will be resolved eventually. Promise. There are also lots of different emotions here; my hope is that they make the chapter vivid without stepping on each other's toes, so to speak.**

 **A tidbit/sneak peek to keep you intrigued; Six months is a long time. Things change. People change. But some things never change. The question becomes…which things never change?**

 **I still welcome all thoughts, encouragements, and (constructive) criticisms. I don't own Pokémon, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your interest in my work. I do sincerely hope you enjoy it. Cheers to you all! See you next time!**

 **Reviews:**

 **Zencolour – Glad you're enjoying things thus far! Expect Amaya's development to continue to evolve as the realities of high-level training really start to set in for our 'heroes'. I appreciate your thoughts, thanks for your consistent reviews!**


	20. Chapter 20 - New Beginnings

Milo Chapter 20 – New Beginnings

"Ahhhh, that feels _so_ good after a hard day's training!"

Milo stretched his arms out and arched his sore back muscles like a Glameow getting ready for a nap. As he stepped out onto the roof of his brother's Gym into the warm night breeze of Hearthome City, Azura followed after him, purring contentedly;

 _Oh, and the moon is so nice this evening, too! It's almost full…_

 _You're such a stereotype, you Moonlight Pokémon, you._

 _Hmph_ , Azura sniffed primly, _just because I appreciate the finer things in life…_

Over the course of his six-month stay in Marcus' Gym, he'd chosen the roof as his favorite place to escape the pressures of being a top Trainer. He watched as a stray Shinx darted across the road below, seeking the cover of an alley, away from the street lamps, where Zubat snipped at the Burmy, Dustox, and occasional Mothim that were drawn to the lights like most Bug-types.

 _Man_ , thought Milo ruefully as he rubbed a particularly sore spot on his left shoulder, _I love sparring Ferra, but now that she's half Steel type I need to be more careful._

 _I really don't pity you_ , noted his faithful Dark-type, _You always insist that it's such a good idea. It's been almost two months since you actually beat her, you know. Very few people can match a Lucario hand-to-hand, and you're no Maylene._

 _Well, thanks for your rousing support_ , responded the Trainer drily, _It's not like Blaze is a better option. He can knock me out faster than I can even move, and give me second-degree burns in the process._

 _Sure, but Ferra can literally impale you with a backhand. Or even a hug._

The pair joked between one another for another few minutes before drifting easily into a thoughtful silence. Milo valued his trips to the roof because one or two of his Pokémon usually accompanied him, and it was a great way to keep building his friendships with them. It was also a fun way to get an outside perspective on the world without it demanding something of him in return.

 _I think I'll miss this once we're back on the road_ , said Azura, _I didn't quite realize how much I'd come to enjoy it._

 _Yep_ , agreed the Jubilife Trainer, _I'm still excited to travel again, though. The break was…productive, to say the least, but I've got that itch in me again; it's time to keep moving._

Azura stood up and extracted herself from her favorite spot on Milo's lap, _I promised to help Aurora with Shadow Ball; I should get back._

He smiled and nodded, and was about to join her when he heard Kara's voice from the rooftop hatch;

"Oh, Milo! Found you!"

He turned to find his ever-beautiful girlfriend levitating easily up onto the roof, followed closely by her Gardevoir. Since the Embrace Pokémon evolved, a few months previously, Florence and her Trainer together were the very picture of elegance, beauty and class.

"Thanks, Flo! So, one last night on the roof, huh?"

"Yeah, couldn't let it go", answered Milo, sitting back down next to the Performer.

"Actually", Kara began with a shy smile, "I have a question for you, if you don't mind."

The Performer tucked a strand of hair behind her ear to keep it away from the fluttering breeze as she asked,

"So, you know the next Showcase? The Snowpoint Invitational?"

Milo nodded. It was a big deal; since earning her third and final Princess Key shortly before the beginning of their break, Kara could only really compete in invitational Showcases. These were a much tougher challenge for her, but she'd won a couple of times at the semi-professional level, and was something of a B-list celebrity amongst the Performer community of Sinnoh due to her meteoric rise. The Snowpoint Invitational was her first big chance to strut her stuff on an even larger stage.

It was both a Showcase and a Contest, which played host to Performers and Coordinators from many foreign regions as well as Sinnoh natives. Kara had been invited as one of Sinnoh's junior entries; an effort to promote the growth of Performing in general within Sinnoh as well as show off the prowess of the 'next generation' of Sinnoh Performers.

"So, traditionally there's also a formal dance; the Grande Snowball. It's a great chance to socialize with some of the big names who'll be there, and, umm…I was hoping we could go?"

Nervously, Milo asked, "Uh, why are you asking me about it? You can go if you want…"

"Well", she grabbed his arm beseechingly, "I wouldn't bother you with it, but I'd be so shy and awkward just standing around by myself. They usually invite some of the big Trainers as well, since it's Sinnoh, so I'm sure you and 'Maya could get on the invite list. Even if you don't you could come along as my plus one. Please?"

Milo took a deep breath and responded, "I…sure. If you want me to go with you, then of course I'll go."

"Perfect, thanks!"

Kara gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the cheek and scooted herself in close to him, prompting him to raise an arm around her shoulders.

It was then that Kara noticed something pensive in her boyfriend's demeanor. Snuggling even closer, she pointed it out;

"You seem like something's on your mind. Let's hear it, huh?"

Milo turned and smiled, giving her a quick forehead kiss,

"Nothing slips past you, does it? I guess I should know better than to try and put on a show for a Performer." With a sigh, his grin fell ever so slightly, and he voiced his thoughts, "I'm just afraid that after everything that's happened, getting back to the Gyms will feel…fake."

"Fake? How do you mean?"

Milo's brow furrowed as he tried to explain;

"I mean, look at our new reality. You and I are mixing it up with the professionals, and half of Sinnoh can recognize 'Maya on sight. We can't realistically expect to go back to just strolling along the routes from one city to the next, taking the Gym Leaders by surprise. That's what I mean; I'm afraid we're trying to go back to something we can't actually get back to. We can pretend, but it's not _real_."

Florence spoke up in agreement;

 _I believe I can understand and relate to your sentiment, good Sir Milo. As the saying goes; a Magikarp may swim in the ocean, but a Gyarados can never return to the pond._

Milo looked quizzically at the half-Fairy type;

"I've never heard that saying in my life, Flo. Still, I get what it means, and yeah, that's kind of how I feel. I mean, I still think it's a good idea, you know, to be able to say I did the Sinnoh Gym Circuit, but…what if it's not the same?"

Milo's concerns were not unfounded. After all, he had long since eclipsed any real need to complete the circuit. He had already qualified for the upcoming Lily of the Valley Conference by way of his semifinal appearance at the Iron Island Qualifier two months ago. He was favored to win most any semi-pro tournament and was strong enough to give many of Sinnoh's established veterans at least a run for their money. His team had grown immensely, and so had he. Completing the Gym Circuit now was purely academic.

"Get over it, Mr. Melodrama", Kara punched him lightly in the shoulder, "Brooding doesn't become you. Come on, this will be fun! We get all the fun of travelling minus the hassle and stress! Quit worrying about whether it 'feels real', there'll be plenty of time for that once you hit the Conference."

"Yeah", he rubbed his shoulder ruefully (she'd punched his sore arm), "I guess you're right…No need to punch me over it, though."

"Oh please, you're ripped now", Kara gave her boyfriend's arm a flirtatious squeeze to prove her point, "looks at these 'ceps! You can take a hit from a girl, can't you?"

"Depends on the girl", Milo shot back, "you're one thing, but Ferra's been wailing on me for a solid few hours. That girl hits just a bit harder than you do. Come on, let's head in before it's too late."

Milo, Kara, and Florence came down from the roof still laughing and joking like the best of friends. As they moved through the now-familiar hallways of the Hearthome Gym, Milo stopped suddenly and motioned silently to Kara, a worried look on his face.

Curious, she mouthed to her boyfriend as she walked lightly back to see what had drawn his attention;

'What?'

'Look', Milo mouthed back, 'Amaya.'

Kara peeked into the room, only to see their friend staring at...nothing. Amaya was sitting in a seat in one of the Gym's unused offices, staring at the wall to the side of the desk. Just as Milo made to enter quietly, the Twinleaf girl spoke;

"Quit skulking at the door. If you're coming in, do it, but I'd rather be alone."

Milo cringed. He'd thought he was pretty good at being sneaky, but apparently not good enough to sneak up on Amaya. Taking a breath, he glanced at Kara, who jerked her head towards the room as if to say,

 _Well, you're in it now. Go find out what's wrong._

Shoulders drooping, he walked in. His friend looked up and raised an eyebrow;

"Whoa, when'd you get there, Milo? I was talking to Kara."

Milo smiled briefly; his faith in his sneaking skills was at least partially restored. Right now, though, that was irrelevant.

"Yeah, sorry. Uh, couldn't help but notice you looking a bit...off. Anything the matter?"

"Oh."

Amaya opened her mouth to continue, then seemed to hesitate, considering whether to divulge. Eventually, she stood up, stuffed her hands in her pockets and muttered;

"Just...family stuff."

She tried to brush past Milo, who caught her arm and asked in confusion;

"Are your parents okay?"

Amaya was being quite hostile. Well, more hostile than usual. Hostile without the friendly undertones.

"It...wasn't my parents. Let go of my arm, Milo."

Not her parents? But they were her only family...well, except for – _oh no_ , Milo realized;

"Maxie. Maxie called you, didn't she? 'Maya, please!"

It was no use. Milo's first travelling companion ripped herself out of his grasp and stormed out of the room, knocking a stunned Kara bodily out of the way as she fled the scene.

Kara walked in, looking at Milo with a scared, questioning face. The young man took a deep breath and offered his girlfriend of six months a sad smile;

"So, I'm guessing 'Maya never told you she's not an only child, huh?"

"Wait, 'Maya has siblings?"

"Well, one sibling", Milo rubbed his hair nervously as he continued, "her older sister Maxie joined Team Galactic back in their heyday. She was a grunt, never did anything big as far as I know, but she got caught and jailed like all the rest."

"Oh, that's awful...So, where is she now?"

Milo thought for a second;

"Uh, I guess she'd be at the Sinnoh women's prison, wherever that is…"

Suddenly, he came over quite curious. He pulled up the office computer and did a quick search.

"Looks like it's in – oh. That's...probably why she called. The Sinnoh Women's Correctional Facility is in Canalave."

Kara nodded in understanding. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together; the media had long since gotten ahold of the group's plans to resume the Gym Challenge, and most people 'in the know' were pumped to see Milo and The Hammer (Amaya's nickname) rip through the remaining Gym Leaders like tissue paper, starting with Byron's Steel-type Gym…in Canalave. Amaya in particular was something of a public spectacle – the best Rookie of her generation, Milo included, according to most.

"Well", Kara sighed, "you better go after her. If it's as bad as you make it sound, she probably needs more help than she's ready to admit, and I'm not supposed to know any of this. Go on, Milo, I'll look after the Pokémon."

She gave her boyfriend a playful kick in the backside as he left, and he looked witheringly over his shoulder;

"Wow. Unnecessary."

"Eh", the Performer winked, "you'll live. Go on, go find 'Maya!"

As she watched him go, Kara couldn't help but give a girlish, wistful sigh. She released Verdante absentmindedly from her belt, and commented to the Grass type;

"How'd we get so lucky, girl? He's strong, he's smart, he's _very_ cute, and look how much he cares about people. You know, if it wasn't 'Maya he was chasing down, I'd almost be tempted to feel a bit protective."

"Fee. Feeeon."

Verdante flicked her elegant green bangs haughtily as she whirled about to head towards the training gym. Kara couldn't help laughing at her first Pokémon's antics;

"Oh, please, girl, you know you like him as much as I do. If it weren't for Milo you'd never get to hang out with Azura and Aurora, after all."

At that, Verdante relented her feigned snobbishness. She really cherished her friendship with Azura, who was like a sister to her, and Aurora, who was more like a baby sister they both looked after. Dancing around to her own internal rhythm, as usual, Kara's Leafeon made her way down the hall towards the training gym, glancing back hopefully at her Trainer.

"Alright, I get it, Verdante. I'm coming!"

The large training space was currently occupied by a mishmash of Milo, Kara, and Amaya's teams working with (and against) one another.

"Feee!"

Verdante immediately bounded over to Azura, who was working with Aurora, the only one left in their merry group who had yet to evolve. True to the promise he'd made in Eterna Forest, Milo had never once pressured his Eevee to choose one of her many possible forms, though she was clearly more than powerful enough to do so. The rumor, amongst the Pokémon at least, was that she'd picked a form and was keeping quiet about it until she felt mentally ready to make the change. If such things were to be believed based on hearsay, of course.

As their Grass type cousin joined them, Milo's two battlers took a break and fell to chatting. Florence had once confided to Kara that the conversations between the three Eons were not so different from the conversations one would expect of three human girls. They shared their various successes and frustrations with training, and even their candid opinions on the boys in their group. Aurora was rather taken with Leon, but unfortunately Amaya's Luxray was by far more interested in Azura, who did not reciprocate his romantic advances.

The three Eons were only briefly distracted by a loud crash followed by a draconic roar.

"Hmm", Kara smiled ruefully, "I guess Drake's still going strong…"

Milo's Garchomp went smashing into the wall as he was thrown back by an Ice Beam from Jet, whose chest was heaving with exertion. These two were known amidst the group for the intensity of their training bouts. As a Floatzel, Jet now had the upper hand in terms of type as well as natural speed, not to mention his Ice moves. Drake, however, had more raw power, and of course the advantage of being a Dragon, which was never something to underestimate.

As Drake made to rouse himself and jump back in, Florence came rushing in and stood in front of the Dragon, doing her best to assert herself;

 _Drake, I must insist that you stop! At least for a brief moment, allow me to examine you and ensure that you are uninjured!_

Milo's most ferocious fighter gave her an annoyed look and made to push past her, only to be met by her Light Screen. He roared something which was unintelligible to Kara, but she could well guess what it was by Florence's response;

 _Don't you dare use that sort of tone with me, my good Garchomp. It seems that if you refuse to acknowledge your own injuries then that duty falls upon my own shoulders._

With that, Kara's Gardevoir extended a hand and offered a brief Heal Pulse which indeed seemed to restore some vigor to the Mach Pokémon. With a grunt, Drake stepped pointedly around her and resumed his bout with Jet.

Florence huffily stuck her hands on her hips and made her way back to her Trainer.

"Don't worry, Flo", Kara consoled her, "boys are like that when you tell them to stop fighting. Remember Milo and Marcus after the Absol incident? We thought that would _never_ end but now they're closer than ever. Boys are just weird."

 _Hmph. Indeed they are, milady. It seems that no matter how much I attempt to demonstrate care and compassion to that stone-hearted Dragon, he refuses to look upon me as anything more than an annoyance. It really does frustrate me to no end._

"Froslass fros", came Frost's voice Florence's other side. Kara was pleasantly surprised to see her there. Frost mostly kept to herself, preferring to spend her time perfecting her skills as an artist of ice. Understandably, she usually kept well clear of the banging and yelling of battle training. For now, though, she seemed to agree with her Psychic teammate. Frost could always be counted upon to add a calming voice to any situation, at least on the rare occasion that she said anything at all.

 _Why thank you, miss Frost, at least I have one ally in this whole debacle. That fool of a Garchomp simply doesn't understand…well, anything at all!_

"Fros froslass lass", responded Kara's Snow Land Pokémon.

 _I beg your pardon, my dear Froslass!_ Florence's cheeks turned bright red, _I have never once mentioned any type of affection or displays thereof! Retract your unfounded comment at once!_

Frost only tittered, and Kara couldn't help but join her;

"Oh come on, Flo, ease up. Frosty's got a point, you do pay more attention to Drake than all the rest of the boys put together."

Florence got rather waspish as she responded with as much finality as she could muster;

 _That...is for no other reason than his own recklessness. As a supremely emotional Pokémon, I cannot simply ignore his complete lack of self-regard in order-_

"LAAAAASS!"

Frost screeched in surprise and discomfort as a hot blast washed over them from yet another training match.

"Hey, you two firebugs", Kara yelled to Blaze and Pyro, "keep it contained, huh? Ice Ghost over here, and the rest of us aren't overly fond of Heat Wave, either!"

Kara's warning was all for naught, however. Frost had already absconded to return to her icy artistry. Jet looked back over his shoulder as he grappled with Drake and fired off an accusatory, teasing Water Gun at his volatile teammate.

Kara could only laugh as Blaze took exception and gave Jet quite a tongue-lashing. Evidently he employed some rather strong language, as Aurora's impressionable ears perked up and her eyes shot wide open. Azura noticed and barked admonishingly at the Infernape, who rolled his eyes before returning to his training. Kara repeated the gesture; no matter how many times they were warned, Blaze and Pyro were both prone to lapses in self-control. Blaze had been infamous for this since his days as a Chimchar, and Pyro was, like most Rapidash, a prideful beast. He was still learning control, too, since he'd only evolved a month ago. Whenever Blaze let his fire grow above 'safe' training levels, Pyro couldn't help but respond in kind, to meet the challenge as it were.

" **Get over it, Blaze** ", came a voice from Kara's right," **you know you messed up. You scared Frost away again. You'll have to say sorry later. That's the kind of awareness Papa's always talking about. Anyway, hi Mama K!** "

It seemed Ferra had (once again) overcome the stern resistance of Zexon, and Milo's Lucario bounded cheerfully over, still possessed with much of the same youthful energy that had been her hallmark as a Riolu. Like most of her species, she'd mastered the use of Aura to project her voice upon evolution.

"Hi, girl", Kara responded, ruffling the Aura Pokémon's head fur as she sat down, "how's training? You gave your papa a fresh set of bruises, I noticed."

Milo had always been 'Papa' to her, and recently she'd extended this train of thought to justify her new name for Kara; Mama K. It had been awkward at first, but Kara didn't mind so much anymore; it was just a nickname.

 _Besides, you never know…_

" **You bet I did** ", Ferra responded proudly, " **I've been getting faster and faster every day! I feel bad beating Papa though, it's not fair when I'm part Steel.** "

"Ah, don't feel sorry for him!" Kara smiled encouragingly, "If you go easy, how will you show him all your improvement? Plus, he probably deserves it, he's such a rascal."

"NAAAAPE!"

"TOOOORRTERRAAAAAA!"

Kara winced at the loud noise and looked up to find Blaze now having a stare-down with Terrus. These two had more history than most of the Pokémon, and their old rivalry still had a tendency to spark back to life on occasion. This time it seemed that Terrus was attempting to tell Blaze off for the previous incident.

 _They always blame him_ , Kara grinned ruefully, _but it was probably Pyro who let that one get out of control. I bet Blaze is taking the blame so Pyro doesn't feel so guilty, like he usually does. I'll ask him about it later._

"Hey", she called wearily, "will you guys cut it out? We already went through this, Terrus, you don't have to rub it in."

"Yeah", came a new voice, "chill, big guy."

Amaya was back, followed closely by Milo. The Grass starter turned to greet his Trainer, adding in some measure of protest and justification for his actions. Amaya only waved him off;

"I get it, I'm sure Blaze set something on fire, but you know he doesn't handle getting lectured very well. Lay off him."

"Hey, 'Maya!" Kara jumped up to give her a hug, which the Twinleaf girl gingerly accepted, "Feeling better?"

The Performer stepped aside as Leon stood in front of his Trainer to offer a solemn nod of support.

"Thanks, Leon", Amaya just sounded exhausted, "I'm good. Milo just had to talk a bit of sense into me is all. Hey", she changed the topic as fast as she could, "who told you slackers to quit training? Back to it, chop chop! You aren't the ones with a big rematch tomorrow, so no holding back!"

Milo stepped around his feisty friend, gave his girlfriend a quick squeeze, and addressed his own team;

"Speaking of that, it's planning time, guys! Come on, we'll use the side room over there."

Milo could never be distracted for long, it would seem, and Kara watched his team follow him diligently into a side room. Tomorrow, they were going to have a very public rematch of the 6-on-1 humiliation Milo had endured at the outset of their Gym Circuit hiatus.

"So", the Performer turned to Amaya, "you all good now?"

"Yeah", came the short response, "I just needed to get through the freak-out stage. I assume Milo explained?"

As Kara nodded, Amaya grimaced before continuing;

"So, yeah, we're visiting the women's prison in Canalave. On the down low, of course."

"KKKRRRAAAAHHH!"

Granite was doing his best to offer support via demonstration of strength, looming over his Trainer with a savage smile on his metallic features. Kara was rather put off by the mighty Steelix's screeching roar of encouragement, but 'Maya seemed to understand;

"I know, Granite. We don't owe anyone anything. I may need you to remind me again when we get there, though. This is going to suck."

 _Only Amaya would choose to open up like that to a literal rock_ , thought Kara with a grin, _Well, Iron Snake technically, but whatever. Never change, 'Maya…_

Before too long, Kara had to return to her own training. She and her team were already hard at work on their freestyle performance for the big Snowpoint Invitational, and if they were to impress on the big stage they couldn't afford to slack off now. The three teenagers didn't see much of each other again that evening, each absorbed in their own preparations for the challenges to come.

The next morning, a quietly confident Milo stepped easily into the Trainer box across from his older brother. It was time to prove to himself and the rest of the region just how real his team was. He was a household name around Hearthome at this point, and the crowd packed into the Gym arena was larger than it had ever been six months ago. There were easily a few thousand people eagerly awaiting the next chapter in the sibling rivalry.

Could his team actually take down the almighty Absol – the most famous and powerful Pokémon in South Sinnoh? The 'expert analysts' seemed to think he might come close, but would be unable to avoid a second sweep. He was good, sure, but not _that_ good. Right…?

True to Gardenia's irate predictions all those months ago, Milo's brutal defeat at Marcus' hands and his subsequent hiatus from Gym challenges had indeed seen him drop well below Amaya in terms of general hype within the battle community. She was 'The Hammer', after all. She was the unstoppable, the invincible, the insanely powerful Amaya. And he was just another Rookie who managed to punch above his weight.

 _This battle should put all that in perspective_ , thought Milo as the announcer went through all the usual pre-match bluster. At long last, after all the hype, the introductions, and the unnecessary rules explanation;

"Let the battle...begin!"

"Absol, it's time", Marcus revealed his kingpin. It was a testament to the improvement in Milo's battle demeanor that he didn't even flinch as he responded;

"Ferra, let's stick to the plan."

Battling with professionals had taught Milo that a strong poker face was much more valuable in a battle than wearing one's heart on their proverbial sleeve. Internally, his mind was racing in five different directions, but he was calm as a Snorlax on the outside.

Marcus tried to preempt his brother's inevitable mind games with a bold opener.

"Absol, Pursuit!"

"It's a double, Ferra. Go Quick Attack, then Aura Sphere", countered Milo.

It was the same trick Marcus had used against Azura months ago. One Pursuit was easy to counter for anyone who was familiar with Dark types, but using one as a mask for another was both difficult and rare. It was the kind of thing an Elite-level Trainer would do, and Marcus intended to use it to the fullest to begin chipping away at the dangerous Lucario.

As Absol launched into the first Pursuit, Ferra spun on her heel and launched a Quick Attack into his face, catching him just as he launched the second Pursuit. Marcus' eyes shot open as he saw the mastery in his sibling's plan. The Quick Attack had not only given Ferra enough speed to catch Absol the first time, but she was now far enough away to evade the second Pursuit entirely, turn around again, and fire an impossibly accurate, super effective Aura Sphere into Absol's face. Not only had Milo read the double Pursuit trick like a book, he'd countered it without breaking stride.

 _Holy...Ouch_ , grimaced Marcus, _My magnificent opening play backfired in a hurry. I have to turn this around before he gets too confident. Ferra's better than I gave her credit for; I need to keep them on edge…_

"Dark Pulse, Absol!"

"Okay, Bullet Punch!"

Ferra jumped fearlessly towards the onrushing Dark Pulse with her Bullet Punch; or so it seemed.

"Now, UP! Blaze Kick!"

Ferra leapt into the air with shocking agility, but Marcus wasn't to be fooled so easily this time. He'd expected a fake, and was prepared;

"Hah! As if! Absol, Flamethrower!"

Absol's aim was impeccable, and Ferra was badly damaged by the super effective blow. Still, she managed to Quick Attack away to gain space and time. Milo was ready to fight back;

"Okay, Dragon Pulse!"

As one of Ferra's most downright frightening moves ripped across the field, Absol was left with no option but to tank the hit and respond;

"Grr…Another Flamethrower!"

Ferra, still gathering herself after using Dragon Pulse, was helpless to avoid yet another super effective blast.

Up in the stands, Amaya leaned forward, brows furrowed in concentration. Kara had never been a battle expert herself, but hanging around with Milo and 'Maya had taught her enough to know what she was seeing;

"Wow", she noted, "Marcus is really shifting through the gears here to get a good shot in on Ferra. He's really going all out."

As the battle continued to rage, Amaya grunted in agreement, before adding tersely;

"This isn't Gym Leader Marcus. This is Marcus the professional. He's throwing literally every trick he's got, and Milo's still giving him problems."

The two brothers continued trading blows at a blistering pace. Even Amaya was having trouble keeping track of what was going on. At last, Marcus found the breakthrough. Milo had just called for a Bone Rush, hoping to catch his brother unprepared for a close-quarters encounter. The Gym Leader was just alert enough to make exactly the right play;

"Pursuit, Psycho Cut!"

Ferra tried to turn and defend herself, but the exertion of the battle slowed her reaction and her movements, and she took the Psycho Cut head on. At last, she fell to her knees and collapsed with a grimace. Milo was one down and Absol was still standing.

"Ferra, that was amazing, great job", called the Jubilife Trainer, "now return. Jet, you're in next!"

Milo's proud Floatzel burst out with a cry. Absol let out a low growl. He was already tired from having to take out a fast, high-powered Fighting type who was also half-Steel. Now he was up against an even faster, equally strong Floatzel with a notorious vicious streak.

Still, Marcus would never give in, and as Milo made the first call, he tried yet another trick;

"Aqua Jet!"

"Sucker Punch!"

"Hah! Dodge and Brick Break!"

Marcus had fallen for yet another _very_ convincing fake. Jet's favorite attack was easily cancelled, allowing him to almost casually sidestep the vicious Dark type move that would otherwise have left him reeling. This time, however, it was Absol who was sent flying as Jet's Brick Break landed for huge damage.

Milo had no intention of letting Absol have even a moment to recover;

"Follow it in! Another Aqua Jet!"

"Night Slash! Then get clear!"

Absol's nerve was tested, but he timed his Night Slash perfectly, intercepting the onrushing Jet to send him crashing to the ground. Absol took the opportunity, as Marcus had asked, to build a sizeable space buffer between himself and the dangerous Floatzel.

"He's on the run, Jet", called Milo excitedly, "chase him down!"

"Razor Wind!"

Marcus was a Dark-type user through and through. There was always another backup plan, another card to play. Jet launched his go-to move yet again, but was blown back by a savage Razor Wind before he even got close. Both combatants were heaving with exertion now.

Milo switched tactics on a dime, and Marcus had to pull another quick-and-dirty escape;

"Ice Beam, Jet!"

"Flamethrower, meet it! Then move!"

Absol's Flamethrower was a hasty one, only managing to stall the powerful Ice Beam's progress. Still, its purpose was served as the Disaster Pokémon escaped damage from the frigid beam – only to be met head-on by the second one, which Jet had fired without instruction.

True to his promise months ago, Milo had focused on building an unspoken connection to Jet. Fast forward six months and this kind of instinctive self-instruction, augmenting Milo's commands instead of countermanding them, was one of the Sea Weasel's greatest and most notorious assets in battle. He was one of the most unpredictable fighters to be found.

Still, two consecutive Ice Beams was a lot of effort, and Marcus knew how to take advantage;

"Pursuit!"

"Aqua Jet away!"

"Dark Pulse!"

Jet barely escaped the Pursuit with an incredibly quick Aqua Jet, but he was a sitting Psyduck when Absol's Dark Pulse smashed him in the side. As strong as he was, he wasn't as hardy as some of Milo's other battlers, and he stumbled once, twice…and then fell over, knocked out.

Milo breathed deeply, forcing himself to remain in control. He couldn't afford to lose himself at this stage in the battle. If his estimations were correct, he was very close now…

"Return, Jet. That was perfect, exactly what we needed. Now, Drake! Show them what you're made of!"

"GGGGRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!"

Not many Trainers could claim to command a Garchomp, even in Sinnoh. Fewer still could claim one as powerful and terrifying in battle as Drake – a fact Milo's Mach Pokémon was very well aware of.

Marcus tried to undermine his opponent's power from the get-go;

"Absol, get in with Toxic!"

"Block that!"

Milo hadn't called a particular move; he didn't need to. Drake knew perfectly well that his Metal Claw temporarily gave him the protection from poison that every Steel type relied on. The unorthodox tactic worked like a charm, and Milo was ready to strike back.

"Stone Edge, and down!"

"Absol, Psycho Cut through it!"

Absol was exhausted, but was just able to Psycho Cut through the rocks that jutted from the ground, trying to smash into him. When he looked back up to counter, however, there was no sign of his opponent.

Marcus' eyes went wide as understanding struck;

"Absol, get-"

"Too late!" Milo called gleefully, "NOW, Drake!"

The Garchomp's Dig attack plowed into Absol's underside, sending him flying helplessly into the air.

"Get under him, Drake!"

"Absol, Pursuit!"

It was a clever move, but it was exactly what Milo was counting on. Marcus' go-to escape move was also one of his weak points for anyone who knew how to preempt and counter it;

"Iron Head!"

Drake smirked as he set himself. He'd seen it coming just as clearly as his Trainer. Just as Absol appeared behind him, he whirled in place, his head shining iron as he smacked it into Marcus' Dark type.

"Soooll….."

Absol glared at Drake as he struggled to regain his footing, stumbling awkwardly sideways. Drake and Milo both knew they could press the attack and end it right then, but courtesy and respect demanded that they allow Absol the chance to prove he could continue.

As it turned out, he could not. The Elite-level Disaster Pokémon just couldn't find his footing, and soon toppled over, unable to battle any longer.

There was a pause. It was only a second, but the silence felt as if the whole stadium had been placed in suspended motion.

Then, an ear-splitting roar exploded from the crowd, echoed by the triumphant Drake on the field below. Amaya could only sit in wide-eyed silence as Kara jumped up and down, delirious at her boyfriend's success;

"OH MY GOSH, HE DID IT! MILO BEAT ABSOL! GO, MILOOOOOO!"

Subdued, his mouth hanging open, Marcus recalled his defeated ace Pokémon and crossed the field slowly to shake hands with his brother. As Milo met him in the middle of the field, the Leader finally found his voice;

"I…I meant to help you get stronger when I invited you to train here, bro, but – hot damn, I never expected _that_! You barely needed half your team, and you didn't even have to pull Azura _or_ Blaze to do it! I never thought I'd say this, especially not so soon, but…you really do fight like a pro now, Milo!"

"Thanks, Marcus", replied the younger brother, still trying to process his own victory, "but I feel like all the credit should go to my team, not me."

"Ah", Marcus winked, "but you're the one who built them, who made them what they are. We can hash this all out later, though, you have to go. There's a room full of cameras and microphones waiting to get a shot at you."

Sure enough, starry-eyed reporters crowded in the designated media room, and they descended into frenzied chaos when Milo at last entered and took his seat. As he usually did, to keep himself sane through the interviews, he released Azura into his lap. They usually cracked telepathic jokes to one another while Milo was answering the questions aloud. He never exactly enjoyed this, but after six months of (forced) practice, he'd gotten much more graceful about tolerating it.

"Milo", came the first of many questions, "Milo, what does this victory say about the level of you and your team?"

"I'm not going to read too much into it", he answered carefully, "Three of my team were able to take down one Elite-level Pokémon. That's what happened, and that's all this win says. To me personally, it's a good proof of how much we've improved these past few months, but this doesn't make me some kind of world-beating wonder battler."

"Milo!" He recognized the next reporter; she was from SBBN2, one of the larger networks.

 _No wonder they gave her one of the first questions_ , he noted.

 _It does seem to work that way_ , was Azura's withering response as the woman asked;

"What can you tell us about which Pokémon you used? Why not use Umbreon and Infernape? Surely they could've won without you needing a third Pokémon, right?"

"Well", Milo shrugged, "I wanted to make sure I was going to win period before I focused on winning more efficiently. Ferra was the best option, as a half-Steel type, to deal early damage without going down too quick. Jet went in second to take full advantage of his speed, and Drake was the powerhouse sweeper. Azura, Blaze, _and_ Aurora were more than ready if they were needed."

Thankfully, the rest of the interview was similarly uneventful. No awkward questions about his relationship with Kara; he suspected that Jenks had at last managed to identify and exclude the more tabloid-like news outlets from the interview. It was around dinnertime that Milo at last made it back to the group's training space, more exhausted from the public attention than from the actual battle that had earned it.

"SURPRISE!"

"WHA – huh?"

He stumbled back at the shout, but as he took a second look, a broad smile spread over his face; Kara stood, blushing, right in front of him wearing a huge smile and pointing to the training room, which had been converted into a big feast setup.

"You…you did all this?"

"Of course", Kara said graciously, "but I couldn't have done it without Gardenia!"

"Gardenia?"

As if on cue, the Eterna Leader's voice echoed from the adjoining room;

"Kara, I got the napkins, how do you – oh, Milo! Hi! Congratulations!"

Still confused as to what exactly was going on, Milo asked, "Um, thanks, but what is all this, anyway?"

"It's your send-off banquet! It was just going to be a big goodbye kind of thing, but since you won it's also a celebration!"

"Okay…thanks, but isn't it awkward to have it here in Marcus' Gym? After all, he's the one I beat."

"Psh", Gardenia waved off the boy's concerns, "he'll be fine. I know he's proud of you, Milo. Besides, it's a surprise for him, too. He _should_ be here any second."

-o-

Marcus was wrapping up some busywork in his office when his watch buzzed. He glanced at it and saw a brief message;

 _Training Gym. Now. Please, thanks. – Dee_

He chuckled and rolled his eyes.

"Ah, she's got me wrapped around her finger, buddy."

 _It would seem that way_ , answered Absol sagely, _but I suppose love makes fools of us all._

"All but you", Marcus shot back with a grin, "you stone-hearted beast, you. Denying the ladies your obvious charms as usual?"

 _Hmm, only the future can tell. When the time comes, I will know._

Marcus chuckled, and soon his idle mind resumed its incessant replaying of his loss against Milo. For a while, after their fateful match six months ago, the two brothers had been at odds. Milo was understandably bitter at Marcus' lapse in judgement, but the older sibling was still convinced Milo was overreacting.

 _I'm glad you got over that_ , Absol cut in, reading his friend's thoughts.

 _Yeah, me too. I think it helped us both grow, in the end. It feels more like we're rivals and best friends than older and younger brother._

 _I agree_ , nodded the Dark type, _He doesn't idolize you blindly anymore. Maybe that's good._

The pair made their way to the training area and Marcus was met with -

"SURPRISE!"

Gardenia quite literally threwherself at the unprepared Dark-type expert. The two Leaders fell head over heels in an awkward heap, as the teenagers behind them dissolved into hysterics.

Gardenia landed on top of her boyfriend and gave him an innocent wink;

"Hehehe, did I surprise you?"

"Yes, Dee", Marcus was gasping for air, "but you're sitting...on my...chest. Off, please…"

Gardenia's eyes narrowed and she moved not one inch as she responded, arms crossed over her own chest;

"Oh, what, am I _too heavy_ for you? Hmm? What exactly are you implying, _Marcus_?"

"No, Dee, it's…", Marcus gave up and just stared up at the ceiling in surrender, "Ugh. Help."

The Grass-type Leader relented with a chuckle, "Oh, take a joke. You're fine, stud. Now come on, we're having a sendoff and celebration feast for the three kiddos!"

Food was enough to improve Marcus' attitude, and as the surprise meal began, a good time was had by all...Well, to be fair, there were a couple squabbles. Madame, as a Beautifly, was unable to restrain herself from fluttering about the room to sample a bit of everyone's food, and some took it better than others.

Milo looked up as he heard Drake bark roughly;

 _Oy, bug off! Eat your own stuff!_

"TERRAAAA!"

Terrus was similarly unimpressed. The Continent Pokémon was the recipient of a Water Gun from Jet, who didn't like being disturbed by the yelling as he chowed down. Jet was then admonished by Zexon, Kara's Scizor, who demanded in no uncertain terms that they all resume their meal like civilized Pokémon. For good measure, Florence added gently;

 _Madame, my friend, perhaps it would be in the collective best interest if you would kindly refrain from attempting to sample anyone else's food, no matter what kind of curiosity may come over you. Not all of us have the same Bug-type instinct as your good self._

This was enough to keep everyone in good spirits until Aurora, who was jumping around and playing with Spirielle, accidentally spilled some of Granite's food. Spirielle, being a ghost, didn't have to worry about such collisions, but the big Steelix screeched in annoyance as he glared down at the much smaller Eevee, whose ears immediately drooped in fear and guilt. This time Milo felt it was necessary to intervene;

"Hey, hey guys, let's calm down here. Aurora, apologize to Granite; you spilled his food by not being careful."

 _I...I'm s-sorry_ , stuttered the Evolution Pokémon nervously.

Milo looked beseechingly up at Amaya's Iron Snake, who gave a huffy grunt before turning back to his meal.

These things happened fairly regularly in a group as large as theirs, and thankfully there were never any long-lasting hard feelings.

 _Honestly,_ thought Milo, _I'm just surprised Blaze wasn't in the middle of it this time. He always ends up getting into it with somebody. Ah, well, that's Fire types for you, I guess._

The rest of the meal went smoothly and then it was time for bed (they were far too stuffed to train, and they'd all earned a break).

Kara felt a twinge of excitement as she settled in for the night;

 _Back to it starting tomorrow! I can't wait to get back out there…_

-o-

It was a touching sentiment, but the reality of 'getting back out there' was, at least at first, a mundane plane trip to Jubilife. This saved them a lot of time travelling through routes and cities they'd already seen, and was intended to make sure they could get through Canalave and up to Snowpoint in time for Kara's big Showcase.

It took less than half an hour from their take-off for Milo to be completely and totally asleep; the plane's gentle rocking lulled him into slumber almost comically fast. Kara, seated in the middle of the trio, was tempted to find a marker and draw on his face, but thought better of it. Lost in her thoughts, she was a bit startled when Amaya very suddenly turned from her window seat and asked;

"How do you do it?"

"Whu…? Do what, 'Maya?"

"You always pretend everything's fine, even when it's not, and you're _really_ good at it. How?"

"Umm", the question was both unexpected and a bit off-putting, "why do you ask?"

The Twinleaf girl's brow furrowed as she tried to explain herself;

"Milo talked me into seeing Maxie in Canalave, but if I can't control myself I'll just explode when I see her. How do you...you know, keep it together so well?"

Kara was lost for an answer at first. Amaya rarely needed this type of advice. For her to actively seek help in something like this…

 _She must be extremely worried_ , Kara thought, _but what can I possibly say to help? How do you advise someone on what to say to their incarcerated older sibling, especially when there's so much emotional scarring?_

"Well", she began slowly, but warmed up as she went, "I think the most important thing is to keep your expression under control. If you can force your face to look like you want, I've found that the rest of you tends to follow along. For me, that means forcing the most convincing smile I can come up with, even when I'm completely freaked out inside. Make sense?"

Amaya looked confused, as though she was trying and failing to apply this to herself;

"How do you _do_ that, though? How do you just fake an expression enough to fool even yourself?"

Inspiration struck the Performer, and she tried again;

"Actually, 'Maya, you already do it. When you battle, you've always got that stoic face. Nobody but me and Milo can ever tell what you're thinking or feeling. Just...do that. Think of this like a battle, just without Pokémon."

"Hmm. Interesting."

Kara pressed on, "The only thing is, Maxie probably knows you better than most people, so she might call your bluff. That's okay – just remember that even if she does, keep it going. It's not for her, it's for you. Does...that help?"

"I...think so. Yeah. Thanks, Kara."

"No problem, 'Maya!"

Kara offered what she hoped was a supportive, encouraging grin, but the ever-inscrutable Amaya just turned back to stare out the window.

After another quiet couple of hours, their plane landed and Kara took mischievous pleasure in jolting Milo awake.

"MILO!"

"WHA – what? What's going – Kara, why?"

The Performer was cackling as she removed her seat buckle.

"Got you. You'd been sleeping so peacefully the whole flight, I couldn't let it go without at least _one_ little prank."

"I bet you could've", he grumbled as he reached up to grab the bags from above their seats.

Kara knew him well enough to not take his griping seriously. Instead, she just took her bag and stuck out her tongue as they stepped out of the plane with the other passengers.

The group of them almost immediately generated whispers in the Jubilife Airport. This was Milo's "hometown" after all, and the locals had quite the sense of pride at seeing yet another JPTA graduate make a big mark on the Sinnoh battling landscape. Yes, he and his family were _technically_ from Sunyshore, but he'd spent the majority of his childhood at the famed Jubilife academy, and that was deemed 'close enough'. He was one of their own and they laid fierce claim to him.

"Ohmygosh", came a hushed voice, "that's him! It's _Milo_!"

The group had barely made it out of the airport when a girl who looked about 13 years old rushed up to the apprehensive JPTA grad. He tried to play along in order to get the girl to move along quickly and quietly, but after he took a picture and signed a scrap of paper, he was almost mobbed by three more young ladies of about the same age.

This was, unfortunately, not an uncommon occurrence. Milo had spent the last six months doing very little besides battling and training alongside his team. That kind of physical conditioning had indeed left him, as Kara so delicately put it, 'ripped'. He wasn't bulky by any means, but his work had produced some – ahem – desirable results.

Of course, this was both a side effect and a major annoyance to Milo himself, who had no interest in attracting any further female attention.

None of the trio of Milo, Kara, and Amaya were anywhere close to the celebrity level of, say, Cynthia, Flint, or any of the Gym Leaders, but they had clearly become relatively well-recognized figures.

Being pulled this way and that by girls with selfie sticks, pens, notebooks, and awkwardly intimate hugs, Milo could only do his best to appear professional and hospitable towards his young fans while shooting Kara a desperately pleading look.

She chuckled and rolled her eyes before rolling up her metaphorical sleeves and stepping in;

"Hey, babe!" She put on a very sing-song voice and an innocent, bright smile, "Come on, Milo, we have to go!"

She very ostentatiously glued herself to his arm and planted her lips on his cheek, leading him away from the younger girls, some of whom were downright glaring at the Performer. As soon as they were clear, Milo ran a hand tiredly through his hair;

"Ugh, thanks, Kara. I owe you again."

The Performer shrugged merrily, "I feel like I should be thanking you. Not every boyfriend would beg me for help peeling other girls away from him, you know."

Milo just shuddered and made a retching noise.

"I think it's the squealing that I can't stand."

 _Definitely the squealing_ , commented Azura, who had decided she wanted fresh air, _it's that or the clinginess. One of the two._

"Hey", Kara shrugged and latched back onto Milo's arm, "you won't catch me complaining."

"Be glad you're not me", came Amaya's muffled voice from behind them. Her face was buried deep into her hood, and she walked hunched over to keep as hidden as possible. Amaya was the most recognizable of them. She was a phenomenon, the next Sinnoh superstar in the making – she was 'The Hammer'.

Her luck held until they got on the airport shuttle and asked to be dropped off at the JPTA. Amaya unassumingly claimed an open seat behind Milo and Kara...but the one next to her was immediately filled by an excitable, nerdy-looking boy;

"Hi, you're Amaya! Oh man, umm, sorry, you probably get this a lot, but can I just ask _one_ little question?"

Amaya opened her mouth, probably to decline somewhat rudely, but the boy pressed on;

"How much do you think Water types should focus on ranged attacks? It's just, I was talking to my friend, and I think that your Milotic is _totally_ awesome because all its attacks are ranged ones, you know?"

From the seat in front of them, Milo was quietly snickering as the motor-mouthed young man kept right on going;

"Like, your Milotic would _totally_ crush a Water Pokémon that tried to use close-range attacks, like Milo's Floatzel. That thing's fast, but kind of useless if it can't get in close, which is why I told my friend that range-focused Water types, like Milotic, are _so_ much better. Right?"

That shut up the Jubilife Trainer's giggling, though Kara cracked a grin at her boyfriend's narrowed eyes. Taking matters into her own hands, the Performer decided she'd given him enough mischief for one day, and stuck up for him.

Sticking her head up above the seat and turning to face the boy, she rebuffed his argument using tidbits of strategy she'd picked up listening to her battler friends;

"That's not the whole story, though. If a melee-focused Water type can evade as well as Floatzel, range attacks are too easy to dodge, and leave you open for counters."

"Who are you?" The boy thought for a second, staring intently at Kara.

 _Well, he clearly doesn't watch many Showcases_ , thought Amaya tiredly, _but he's still wrong. Kara hit the nail on the head, and that's why Coral relies so much on Dragon Tail._

"I feel like I recognize you from somewhere", said their uninvited guest, "Anyway, you're wrong, because not all range attacks are as straightforward as Hydro Pump. Moves like Water Pulse and Twister are perfect for hitting fast opponents from a distance. That makes Milotic _so_ much more versatile than Milo's Floatzel. Besides, he only has Floatzel to make up the numbers, anyway; he's only got three _real_ Pokémon. He's got Garchomp, Infernape, and that crazy Umbreon, and the rest are team-fillers."

Milo, still hidden behind his own seat, picked this moment to flip the script. He took no small pleasure in watching the boy's face go white as a sheet when he poked his head up.

 _He looks like Frosty with a face like that_ , thought the Trainer gleefully as he launched into his rebuttal.

"For your information, I've got six 'real Pokémon', so let's dispel that idea right off the bat. Clearly you didn't watch me take down an Elite-level Absol using my Lucario, that 'useless' Floatzel, and Garchomp just for the last effort."

The boy began spluttering, torn between defending his claims and apologizing profusely. Milo pressed on,

"Let's also forget this notion that Water types should be all range-based. That's crap. One of the best things about Water Pokémon is that they can hit from anywhere on the field _and_ move well enough to compete in the close space. Even 'Maya knows that; haven't you seen her bait people in with a Recover to bring them in range of Dragon Tail? Coral's biggest weakness is that she _doesn't_ move."

Milo had more or less expected the kid to shut up and say sorry, but he was surprised yet again. The boy set his face and shot right back;

"Nah, you talk a big game, but Amaya would totally beat you in a full match. Right, Amaya? Everyone knows _she's_ the best Rookie in years."

He looked back at the Twinleaf star, who merely shrugged. Their conversation was drawing not-so-subtle looks from other passengers as the bus trundled down the streets of Jubilife.

"We haven't fought for real since that Hearthome Rookie Challenge. Who knows what'd happen now."

The boy looked almost offended that Amaya would say such a thing, and also a bit awed that she had spoken at all. Still, he drew up the audacity to admonish her for her apparent lack of conviction;

"Oh come on, you don't have to play politics! We all know you'd trounce him. You're The Hammer! Sorry, Milo, you're good and all, but Amaya's way beyond you now. She's -"

Amaya was quickly burning through the meager social graces she possessed. Curtly, she interrupted;

"Look, thanks, but I'm undefeated against _other Rookies_. Milo's literally fighting the pros – and winning. Sometimes. There's a huge difference between qualifying for the Conference from the Gym Circuit like I'm doing and qualifying from the semis of _Iron Island_. So yeah, thanks and all, but get a grip on the big picture."

The kid was silent now, his eyes wide as saucers. Milo's eyebrow raised as well; Amaya had spoken, what, three or four sentences in a row there? How very unusual.

"Wow…" The boy was still gazing in awe at Amaya, who now wore a familiar scowl, "So cool…Modest but strong and feisty…just like in battle and in all your interviews…"

"Oy!" The bus driver yelled back, oblivious to the conversation that had drawn the curiosity of at least a few passengers, "JPTA, here's your stop!"

Amaya was the first to jump up and scramble from the bus, bag in hand, with only a gruff "Thanks" to her adoring fan. Over the course of her meteoric rise to near-celebrity status, Amaya had learned to handle the increased scrutiny as a matter of necessity. However, she was still her rough-around-the-edges self when she was unexpectedly cornered in public.

Thrilled to be back in the city that had raised him, Milo raised a hand to knock on the unassuming front door of the famed academy when it opened of its own accord to reveal a rather scared-looking Delia Ketchum.

"So good to see you all", she said hurriedly, all but pulling them bodily into the entryway, "come in, please, quickly."

As she shut the door, the middle-aged teacher flung her arms around Milo, who had always been one of her favorites.

"Oh, Milo", she gasped, "I can't tell you how pleased I am to see you, but…"

The young man's brows furrowed in concern, "Uh, but what?"

"But you can't stay", said a voice from the kitchen. It was Marcus, and he emerged with the same grim expression Mrs. Ketchum wore.

"We need you, bro", he began solemnly, "The Order needs you."

 _Not again_ , Milo's face fell, "Why do you need me? Is it that big a deal?"

"Would I be here if it wasn't?"

Milo hung his head. Nowadays, the Order only called him in if the situation really was that bad. He was happy to help, but the days of small-time raids against lightly armed facilities were over. Every single mission was dangerous and life-threatening when he was involved. All because of his connection to _them_.

Composing himself, he set his shoulders and said;

"Okay. I guess there's not much choice. Let's go. Uh, 'Maya, Kara…I'm _really_ sorry, but it looks like I'll have to meet you later."

Amaya nodded silently. She was the most understanding of his devotion to the cause that was bigger than himself. Kara, however, always struggled when this happened;

"Milo…" She raised her hands searchingly to his face, before hugging him tightly, holding on as if for dear life. He took her head in his own hands and whispered gently;

"I'll come back to you. I always do. I promise."

He touched his forehead to hers, wishing there was something else he could say…but it was time to go. So it was that within half an hour, he was back on another plane, his older brother seated beside him.

"What's the rub? I just left Hearthome this morning, did it happen just recently?"

"We're going north, to Eterna. This whole thing kicked off about a half hour after your plane left. I only beat you to Jubilife by taking a private jet. Courtesy of the Order."

"Wait, you said Eterna?" Milo frowned, "What for? Is Gardenia okay?"

"For now", the Dark type Leader ran a nervous hand through his hair, "But we've got precious little time. Milo…it looks like we're going to need – you know, _them_."

 **Flashback**

It was two weeks after Milo had hunkered down at the Hearthome Gym that answers had at last been provided about just what the hell had happened at the Celestic battle. His first clue as to how big a deal his 'possession' spell was came when Shadow Master Karen herself turned up to provide the explanation.

"Milo", she began purposefully, "I'm going to lay this out as briefly as I can, alright? I'm assuming someone told you what actually happened in Celestic?"

The young man nodded dumbly as Karen continued;

"Good. Now, you were possessed by Yveltal and Zoroark, who are two of our Order's three Legendary protectors."

"Wait, what? Protectors? I was told we got power from those relic things. When did Legendary Pokémon come into all this?"

"We use the relics to awaken our power", Karen explained, "but where do you think _they_ got that ability? Those relics draw on the Dark Aura power of Yveltal, Zoroark, and Darkrai."

Milo was feeling more confused by the second;

"I thought Dark Aura was like Aura. Doesn't it just – you know, happen?"

"Okay, this is where it gets tricky", the Shadow Master admitted, "You're right, Dark Aura is a lot like Aura, but…this is one of those times where it's different. Aura is like an energy field that flows in, from, and through every living thing…except those that channel Dark Aura instead. So basically, every living thing in the world channels _either_ Aura or Dark Aura. The perceived difference comes from the fact that Aura is much, _much_ more common than Dark Aura."

"Okay…So those three Legendary Pokémon have lots of Dark Aura. That powers the relics. People like us who channel Dark Aura use those relics to access that power. Right?"

Visibly relieved, Karen nodded emphatically, "Perfect! That's it in a nutshell, I'm glad you can follow along. That brings us to the Celestic incident. It's not unheard of for one of those three Legendary Pokémon to take control of a human being, and when it happens we call it 'receiving the blessing' of that particular Pokémon. You seem to have received the blessing of not one but two of them, which _is_ unheard of."

"Uh…okay…what does that mean? I can use creepy Dark powers whenever I want?"

"It means you can _ask_ for their help whenever you need it, and because they've 'chosen' you, they are _very_ likely to help you. I'd also highly recommend _not_ using it whenever you want; you saw what it did to you."

"Fine, but why me? What are the criteria for getting 'chosen' for this blessing deal?"

The Shadow Master grinned with a shrug, "Depends on the blessing. In your case, Yveltal typically blesses those with raw power, and Zoroark tends to bless people who are extraordinarily skilled at deception. As it happens, you became the third person in that battle to have received a blessing like that."

"The third?! No way, I didn't see anybody else do whatever happened to me!"

"No", Karen clarified, "you were the only one to trigger the effects in that battle, but two other Shadows were there who have done so in the past. Your older brother has triggered the blessing of Zoroark on three occasions, and I myself have channeled the power of Darkrai twice."

Milo opened his mouth to protest again, but was preempted;

"Wait", Karen held up a hand, "let me guess. Why didn't either of us trigger those effects sooner, right? I assure you, if the battle looked to be turning against us severely, I was fully prepared to call upon Darkrai. Marcus was ready to do the same until he was rendered almost unconscious by one of the Primal. We use the power of the Legendary blessings as a last resort because of their effects on the user. You saw this yourself; you lost consciousness and were weak for days after the Celestic battle. It's quite a hefty price to pay."

 **End Flashback**

Seated silently on the plane to Eterna, Milo found himself feeling rather bitter;

 _I still believe in the mission of the Order, but…I kind of hate doing this. Every mission now is this life or death thing that leaves me drained for days if I have to use the blessings. Worst of all, I know Kara is scared beyond belief every time I leave. Ugh…_

He shook himself out of this dark pattern of thought as the airplane touched down.

 _One dilemma at time, Milo._

"There you are, hurry!"

A young lady ran up to meet the two brothers as they stepped out of the airport. Milo vaguely recognized her as one of the assistants at the Eterna Gym.

"Gardenia's barely holding out!"

The frantic girl pulled them into a waiting car and slammed on the gas. They sped north of the city for about five minutes, and Marcus took the opportunity to detail their objective;

"Here is it, bro, listen up. The PsyForce Tribe made a power play against the city government. Ark Monty stepped in and foiled their main effort, but he was outnumbered once the fighting really started. Last we saw, he was fighting inside their base, and Dee is giving it all she can to contain them there at the front. We're here to reinforce her and get Ark Monty out. Clear?"

Milo nodded starkly as the pair jumped out of the vehicle. They were on the outskirts of town, in front of what seemed like an abandoned warehouse. A crash drew Milo's attention to the main door. Marcus was three steps ahead, already sprinting to the source of the commotion;

"GARDENIA!"

The Grass type Leader was visibly battered and bruised, as was her famous Roserade, but they stood strong against a handful of Psychic Pokémon and their masters. As Marcus stood himself in front of his beloved Dee, Milo came to his senses and ran in to help as well, calling as he went;

"Azura, we need you!"

His loyal Umbreon emerged, a Dark Pulse already charged. She demolished a Bronzor that had attempted to flank the group, and Milo himself began launching attacks wherever he could spot a target.

"Bro", called Marcus, "Dee is about to collapse, I'm getting her out of here. Hold the entrance until I get back."

"Can do", replied Milo, before ducking under a Chimecho that had tried to target him with a Take Down. Whirling, he fired a one-handed Dark Aura Sphere into its back, knocking it out easily.

By now, Milo was more than capable of holding his own in this type of battle, and he found the adrenaline rush rather intoxicating.

 _Duck, sphere, left punch, spin, dodge right, Azura's got that one, left hand beam…_

It was almost cathartic to just shut his brain off for once and fight like this. He and Azura combined to make a lethal whirlwind of Dark power. None of these foot soldiers had the strength to hold a candle to him, one good hit each was enough to put them down.

 _This. This is why I keep coming back_ , he realized as a Mr. Mime and its owner hit the ground at his feet, _I'm…addicted to this rush, the feel of absolute harmony with Azura – in combat. I've never felt so alive._

He and Azura had almost rhythmically dispatched another dozen PsyForce grunts before Marcus materialized at his side.

"Time to play offense", grunted the Gym Leader, "I'll hold these punks, you charge up the middle. Remember, getting Ark out is priority one."

Milo's face slipped into an almost evil-looking grin.

"Dark Pulse."

Azura complied with gusto, blasting a path through their enemies to the door of the building. More grunts soon came pouring through the hole, trying to prevent Milo from penetrating their base, slowing his approach.

 _I guess there's nothing for it. I'm going to need more help. This is going to get messy…_

"Drake, Jet! Clear a path!"

One Hydro Pump – Stone Edge combo later, Milo had a clear run through the front line. As he sprinted through the gap opened by two of his heaviest hitters, he narrowed his eyes. Once he broke through the first line...there was nothing. The halls were empty, as if the entire enemy force had vanished.

 _This feels wrong_ , he reached out to Azura, _Notice anything I'm missing? That was too easy. I thought we'd have to fight for every inch._

 _I agree_ , she nodded, _I can't figure it out either. We should be on guard._

As the sounds of Marcus' fighting at the frontline grew farther and farther away, an eerie silence fell over the intruders, broken only by the soft sounds of feet (and paws and claws) tapping on the cold concrete.

"Ugh...I hate this, but we need to prioritize here", Milo frowned as he voiced his thoughts aloud, "Taking this slowly would be safest for us, but the longer we take the worse it could turn out for Ark. My guess is he's right in the thick of it… Right, change of plans; we're heading for the top, guns blazing. Ready?"

The three Pokémon he'd released (Blaze and Ferra had a dangerous type disadvantage and he hated exposing the ever-impressionable Aurora to this kind of violence) looked at one another before Drake answered for them all;

 _Guns blazing it is_ , he grinned quite menacingly, _hell yeah, we're ready. Let's go._

Milo wordlessly pointed at the nearest staircase and they all took off at full tilt. It was quickly evident that Milo's assumptions had been dead on; as they neared the top of the narrow, dingy stairs, sounds of yelling and battle filled their ears once again. Milo reached the landing first and, without slowing, lowered his shoulder to slam the old, rusty door clean off its hinges. He leapt sideways into the hallway, hands raised, ready for anything.

WHAM!

He was immediately thrown backward as a table was telekinetically slammed into his midriff, thrown by…

 _Crap. Of course they did._

All the grunts Milo had expected to find on the way up were waiting for him. Their psychic powers had no effect on him, but they could still bombard him with projectiles – like the table that had just pinned him painfully to the floor.

"Guys", he called urgently, "a little help?"

Azura was two steps ahead. She'd already jumped out, furious that these grunts would dare harm her human.

 _DON'T YOU TOUCH HIM! YYYAAAHHHH!_

A titanic Dark Pulse destroyed half the hallway on its way to the grunts and their Pokémon, most of whom were knocked flat by the massive hit.

"Wow", Milo used the respite to free himself clumsily and get to his feet, "That was intense. Come on, though, no time to stop!"

Drake and Jet efficiently cleaned up the remaining grunts as the team dashed into the main space, which was already in ruins. Milo held up a hand as they took in the situation at a glance;

Two Lucario, an Onix, a Pangoro, and an Aegislash stood weary guard over a heavily injured Ark Monty. Facing them down were at least a dozen Psychic Pokémon and two _very_ creepy women who were floating in the middle of the room, their eyes glowing a sickly blue color.

It looked as though Ark and his team had put up one hell of a fight; for every grunt still battling, another two or three were down, along with their Pokémon.

Breathing heavily, Ark himself was slumped behind the makeshift cover of an overturned table, one hand clutching the deep red stain visible on his side.

"Ani", he growled through gritted teeth, "on your left!"

Milo was already in motion, sprinting towards the beleaguered team, and he was amazed to see one of the Lucario whirl on her heel to expertly block an attack that had most certainly been launched _after_ Ark's timely warning.

"Oy!" Milo's first plan of attack was to refocus the attackers' attention on him; he needed to get them away from Ark and his team.

"Over here, you freaks!"

 _What's this?_ A smooth, female voice emanated from one of the women, who was seated mid-air in a meditation pose. She swiveled in place to glare at Milo, who fiercely returned her gaze.

 _Hmm, the Shades have come to play, sister…_

 _Just in time for desert_ , chimed the other one.

Remembering what Marcus had once described to him, Milo thought grimly;

 _These must be two of the five Mind Queens._

He was out of time to think about it, as a Bronzong and an Alakazam led a charge towards him, using Psychic on any loose items to throw them at the intruders.

"Scatter!" Milo screamed frantically as he dove out of the way of a chair that nearly took his head off.

"No stopping", he called, "hit and run from anywhere you can!"

His heart swelled with pride at his team's alacrity and discipline. Within seconds, attacks of every type were slamming into the Psychics from every angle, creating more than enough chaos for Milo to make his way to the injured Ark.

"Hey! Ark, talk to me! Are you okay?"

With a dark smile, the self-proclaimed Aura Protector of the city responded gamely;

"Milo...Ah, good. You made it just in time for my – rgh – epic comeback."

"Ark", Milo threw up a Dark Aura Sphere to blast away an incoming projectile, "I love the effort, but you need to call off your team. I'm here to extract you, come on. Let me get you up."

"Aha! As if!" Milo was shocked as Ark actually pushed him off, "I'll get myself up, thanks very much! Hmm! I've seen – gah – I've seen worse, and so has my team. Okay, boys and Ani! Get back in there! Hit and run seems to be working! C'mon!"

 _How can he just shrug that off? He's got broken bones and open wounds at the very least!_

Nevertheless, Ark Monty stood, seemingly by pure force of will. Anubis was acting as a sort of 'traffic director' for Ark's team as they, too, forced themselves back into the fray, turning the tide now against the PsyForce Tribe grunts and Mind Queens, who were shrieking telepathically at their minions as they themselves backed off.

Seeing Anubis lead his teammates via coordination gave Milo a somewhat risky idea;

"Ferra! You're up!"

As Milo's self-proclaimed 'daughter' burst out, eager to join the fighting, he instructed her quickly;

"Coordinate with Anubis, relay instructions to the rest of our team. We're going hit and run here, reflexes at the ready. Okay?"

" **I'm ready, Papa.** "

"Knock 'em down, girl, but remember they're Psychics. You need to be extra careful."

Ferra's eyes glinted in barbaric excitement as she leapt in. A hand grasped Milo's shoulder. The usually bright face of Ark Monty was uncharacteristically somber;

"Milo, I can't thank you enough. I was beginning to fear for my team. Now, let's rip these unnatural psychopaths a new one. RRAAAHH!"

He turned and – to Milo's amazement, once again – actually sprinted up to the nearest PsyForce grunt and pummeled him viciously into the ground at point blank range with an Aura Sphere.

"Can't let him have all the fun", Milo muttered with a hint of a grin, "it's my turn!"

The next fifteen minutes went by as one massive adrenaline rush for the Jubilife Trainer. Inanimate objects came flying at him from every angle, attacks of every type came from Pokémon that appeared out of thin air, and he was dodging his allies' attacks as much as those of the enemy.

Finally, the grunts and their Pokémon were out of the way, and Milo and Ark could focus all their attention on the two Mind Queens.

 _Sister_ , noted one of them disparagingly, _we seem to be drawing some attention. The Guardians and the Shades are here together._

 _How adorable_ , smirked the other, as the Bronzong and Alakazam took up position in front of them, _I suppose_ _it's only fitting that we grant them the mercy of a quick death. Attack!_

Milo had begun to hope that with the disposal of the grunts this fight would turn handily in their favor, but he soon found to his dismay that fighting two Mind Queens was vastly different – and more challenging – than fighting two Primals. The Mind Queens could seamlessly combine their powers to devastating effect, operating first as one entity, then as two, then as one again. They were incredibly powerful and completely unpredictable.

"JET!" The Floatzel was sent streaking back into a wall by a Psychic blast, "Azura, that Alakazam is a real handful; can you – ah!" He ducked at the last second under a Gyro Ball from the Bronzong, "Can you at least keep him busy? Drake, help me with this one!"

As Azura turned to pummel the comparatively fragile Alakazam with whatever Dark and Ghost moves she could muster, Drake joined his Trainer to fire off a barrage that served to drive back the cautious Bronzong. Milo gritted his teeth through the pain and exhaustion of the fight thus far, and picked his head up to check on the overall state of things.

Ferra had join Ark and his team and was facing down the two Mind Queens, though the already worn-out group was having some real trouble handling the two human Psychics.

 _Damn_ , though Milo as the obvious solution presented itself, _I was really hoping not to need them, but...if I wait any longer I'm putting Ark and his Pokémon at risk of serious harm. Crap. Alright, Yveltal, Zoroark. I know you're there, and I know you're dying to take a crack at these psychos. Let 'em have it._

He felt the familiar rush as he mentally brought down the barriers, allowing the power of the two Legendary Pokémon to flood over him like a raging Dark river. He braced himself, and as expected, blacked out within seconds.

 **Kara**

"Hello? Earth to Kara?"

"Huh?" The Performer gave her head a shake. She was seated with Amaya at a cafe a few blocks away from the JPTA. The bright, mid-morning sun gave their street corner, cobblestone setting a picturesque feel that totally escaped the thoroughly distracted Floaroma girl.

"S-sorry, 'Maya. What's up?"

"Feeeeeoonn…" came a low, sad coo from Verdante, curled up in her Trainer's lap.

"Yeah", added Amaya, "basically that. You're super down and I don't blame you, but you should at least try not to be a human raincloud. People will think you're part Castform."

Kara gave a weak chuckle.

"Yeah, sorry. I just...well, you know."

They were due to head out for Canalave that afternoon. Milo would – hopefully – be meeting them there within the next few days. The call had come in the previous evening; her reckless boyfriend had been forced to channel Yveltal and Zoroark (again) and was in no condition to make the trip back to Jubilife as was originally planned.

She took another morose sip of her overpriced coffee as another person (the fifth or so since they sat down an hour ago) stopped and shyly asked Amaya for a picture. Apparently there weren't too many Showcase fans in Jubilife – Kara had only been 'spotted' once or twice in that time. Everyone who stopped asked the same thing;

"Uh, where's Milo? Isn't he usually with you guys?"

The question was an honest and innocent one, but it was like a twist of the knife to Kara's worried heart each time. Their hometown favorite, the local boy, her dearest Milo, was in a recovery room at the Eterna Gym, too weak to even get on an airplane.

Marcus had been the one to call it in, which did nothing to assuage the slight grudge the two girls still felt towards the Leader after he inadvertently dented Milo's career six months ago. Milo himself didn't mind so much, but both Kara and Amaya knew as well as anyone else that he would be at least as well-known as 'The Hammer', or anyone else for that matter, if it weren't for Marcus' six-to-zero stunt.

As the latest adoring fan at last left Amaya alone, the Twinleaf girl turned back to her friend.

"Seriously, Kara. You're taking my job; you're being more – well, _Amaya_ than I am."

That elicited a flash of a grin from the Performer, who shot back rather disparagingly;

"I know you're trying to help, 'Maya, and I appreciate it, but cheering people up isn't exactly your forte. Let's head back and finish getting ready. The Canalave Channel's not going to surf itself."

"Eh", Amaya shrugged as she stood and left a tip on the table, "can't fault me for trying, though, huh?"

"No, no I can't", Kara's voice softened, "I really do appreciate you trying. I'm just…scared, is all."

Still, she knew she couldn't walk around moping all day, so she almost instinctively reapplied her impregnable, unreadable 'everything is fine' smile.

"That's kind of freaky, you know."

Amaya had noticed the switch, apparently.

"Hmm? Oh, why thank you", she replied graciously, "Anyway, let's go!"

No matter how deep she pushed the fear and uncertainty, though, it refused to go away entirely. She knew it would be there until Milo could safely rejoin them. The best she could do until then was grin and bear it.

What finally helped free Kara's mind from these negative thoughts was starting their latest adventure. She'd picked out one of her favorite sundresses and bought a large hat to provide her some shade on the open water.

She was even able, by some miracle, to convince Amaya to take a picture together, which she sent to the Eterna Gym for Gardenia to show Milo. It was a perfect day, with the sun shining down out of the cloudless sky as Amaya released Coral into the crystal clear waters.

Technically, the Milotic hadn't mastered the Surf move that was formally used to transport Trainers over water, but the concept was easy enough to emulate. The two girls got situated on Coral's back, and all she had to do was keep them above the surface of the water as she swam.

"Pfft", Amaya had scoffed when Kara asked timidly whether they'd need to buy a Surf HM, "Who needs HMs? What, don't you trust Coral to swim with us on her back?"

"Well, sure", she'd responded, "but I bet there's a reason people use the HM, so…"

"People who use HMs for Surf are trying to ride their freaking Magikarp across half an ocean. We have a Milotic, and we're just crossing from Jubilife to Canalave. Why waste the money?"

So, the decision had been made. In the end, it was a non-issue, as Coral had no problems providing them safe and comfortable transport. They floated along serenely, and Kara even let Madame, her Beautifly, out to get some fresh air.

 **Damion Parr**

He stretched out on the beach, rubbing his sore back and leg muscles. Riding a Steel type across the Canalave Channel was not the most comfortable experience. Nearby, his Empoleon was making the most of the opportunity to let off some steam playing in the water.

"Hey, feathers", he called to his starter, "You want to get a move on, or stay a bit?"

"Poooll", answered the Pokémon rather pleadingly. The Veilstone Trainer rolled his eyes. As it grew, his Water type had matured in battle, becoming an impregnable wall of defense, and fierce to boot...but its personality never quite made the same change. It was still just as happy-go-lucky and whimsical as ever.

Rolling his eyes, Damion released the rest of his team. They were paused on the island halfway across the channel, headed for their sixth badge. He was running out of time, he knew; he had only a few months left to beat the last three Leaders, and they were the toughest ones to take down.

"Some of us don't have the luxury of zipping through Leaders and taking six month breaks", he muttered darkly to himself. He had taken at least three attempts at every Leader after Roark, taking training breaks each time he lost.

It was only three weeks now since he'd gotten through Marcus' Gym team in Hearthome;

"Crap, that was awkward", he grinned at the memory. Having to face Milo's older brother, with Milo himself glaring down from the stands no less, made the already difficult Gym battle seem almost impossible. Nevertheless, Machamp had at last become powerful enough to carry the team to victory, with help from Empoleon and Toxicroak.

"What's this?" The voice from behind him sent his heart plummeting as he scrambled to react;

"A big, bad Trainer...caught off his guard?"

"Shit", was the first word that came to his mind, "Not you Rocket hags again. What the hell do you want?"

Sure enough, Annie and Oakley emerged from the foliage on either side of the Veilstone Trainer;

"I think we're well past that, don't you? You know damn well why we're here, _boy_."

He narrowed his eyes;

"You're wasting your time. I told you a thousand times, I'm not interested. I'm strong enough to beat you both down now, so you'd better clear out."

Annie only laughed in his face;

"Please. Beat us down? Maybe you're strong enough, but you're nowhere near _smart_ enough."

Damion's eyes narrowed, and a quick visual scan confirmed his suspicions;

"Smart…What do you – NO!"

Espeon and Ariados had taken advantage of his distraction and used the element of surprise to take his team out using a combination of Hypnosis and String Shot.

"Hmph", Oakley stepped up to the dumbstruck young Trainer, "We should've thought of this sooner. Like taking candy from a baby. Too bad it didn't work on that Jubilife freak. Still…"

SMACK!

Damion stumbled to the ground, his face burning from the vicious slap delivered by the purple-haired Rocket. Standing over him, she continued;

"I guess this Veilstone kid isn't a half bad consolation prize."

Grunting with rage and exertion, he tried to push himself off the ground – only to be kicked in the chest. Annie was surprisingly strong, and Damion was down hard, seeing stars.

"Stay down if you know what's good for you", she spat, "We're done being cute, done playing games, done asking and begging and wheedling. Now we're _telling_ you. Welcome to Team Rocket. Now, if you'd cooperated earlier, we'd let you keep these splendid Pokémon you've raised, but since you caused all this trouble…they'll go to the Boss like all the rest. Espeon, put him out with-"

"SPIRIELLE, WRECK THEM!"

Annie and Oakley had no more than a split second of shock and horror until a blindingly fast Shadow Ball crashed into them.

"GAAARRRR!"

A terrifying, fully grown Gengar descended eerily from above as Amaya ran onto the scene, reaching for the rest of her team.

"No…not _her_! Annie, we've got no choice, let's split!"

"Agreed", nodded the other Rocket grimly, "let's go!"

Just like that, both women and their Pokémon turned to scramble away. Amaya, however, had other plans.

"Psychic, Spirielle. The rest of you, surround them."

Damion, still struggling to regain his breath from the blow to his chest, could only stare in disbelief as Amaya's team took up position around the now-trapped Team Rocket hunters.

"Come on 'Maya", came a new voice, "you never _wait up_!"

 _Is that…the Performer chick?_ Damion had about a million questions, _What're Amaya and Milo's arm candy doing here? The hell is up with all this?_

Sure enough, Kara came chasing after her Twinleaf friend, swiftly commanding her own team;

"Flo, back up Spirielle with your Psychic. Make sure that Espeon doesn't try anything. Frost, Madame, cover the air. Zexon, Pyro, help cut them off. Verdante, you're with me!"

Annie, Oakley, Espeon, and Ariados were powerless. They were thoroughly outgunned and caught in the powerful hold of two very potent Psychic attacks. Damion could still hardly believe his eyes, but there it was. Somehow. With some effort, he dragged himself to his feet;

"W – why? Do you two realize you just saved… _me_?"

"Not now", Kara spat coldly, "I'm in the middle of calling the police."

Nonplussed, Damion stepped back. He'd never been able to hold his own against the two crazed Rockets, much less flatten them enough to even consider calling the police. Yet here they were; Annie and Oakley completely restrained. Damion turned to the other girl, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

"Hey, Amaya. What-"

"Sit down and shut up", came her rough interruption, "This changes nothing."

 **Marcus**

 _This isn't going to be fun_ , he grimaced as he walked down the hallway of Gardenia's Gym. His girlfriend was more or less fine now, a couple days after the shock of the PsyForce Tribe's ambush.

The crazed, power-hungry Psychics had been more and more active lately, which was concerning to the Order of Shadows.

 _I almost wonder if this is a side effect_ , thought the Hearthome Leader as he trudged along, hands stuffed in his pockets glumly, _We really beat the snot out of the Spirit League back in Celestic all those months ago, and maybe it left room for the PFT to grow beyond their natural place._

Regardless of why, it was a growing issue with many complicating factors, one of which he was about to roll up his mental sleeves and deal with. He was on cleanup duty. He finally reached the normally unoccupied side office, took a breath, and walked in.

Behind the desk sat a sober-looking Ark Monty, with both of his Lucario standing silently behind him. Putting on his most pleasant 'diplomacy' face, Marcus began lightly;

"Hey there, Ark! I know you're a busy guy; this shouldn't take too long, I just think we should clear the air a bit about some of the things that went down. Cool?"

Whatever Ark was, cool wasn't the word for it. As Marcus tried for a calming grin, the Aura Protector of the city only turned his stare downward to the plain wooden desk. When he spoke, his voice lacked any of its usual exuberance;

"I've seen a great many things in my time as a Guardian, and I've fought many frightening opponents. But…"

The man paused, and shook his head as if in disbelief.

 _I bet I know where this is headed_ , thought Marcus, _Damn, Milo. You even freaked out Ark; that takes some doing._

"But I've never seen anything like – like _that_."

"I know the feeling", Marcus never enjoyed these conversations, "Would it help you to just get it out? Tell me what you saw and I'll provide whatever answers I can."

"We…we were losing. My team and I fought all the way to the top, but they had these two terrifying Psychics at the heart of their base."

"Those were Mind Queens", Marcus offered gently, "They are some of the most powerful and, unfortunately, deranged Psychics in the world. That you faced down two of them in your condition is a feat in itself."

Ark barely seemed to notice his words as he pressed on, his head held in his hands;

"Milo arrived to support me, and we pressed them back. I think…with more time he'd have overcome them. But he was worried about my team and I, he didn't think we'd last that long. Who knows, maybe he was right."

Ark's voice was hollow and eerie, as if he were describing a nightmare instead of a memory. Marcus tensed himself.

 _I knew they were getting stronger, but this sounds bad. For even Ark to be this thoroughly shaken…wow. And this guy's seen it all, too._

"There was a split second", described the veteran Aura Guardian, "right before it all went to hell, where Milo found me and gave me a look. It was only an instant, but he had this…this sad smile on his face, like he knew what was about to be unleashed. It was like he knew what would happen to him and he was resolved to it regardless."

"He knew", Marcus was shaking now as well. He hated listening to this, hearing the story of his brother's latest near-death experience, "he knew _exactly_ what was about to happen. Dark Aura is not as predictable or forgiving as your Guardians' power, Ark. Go on."

Ark looked searchingly into the Leader's face. Marcus tried to keep his cool, but the Lucario-obsessed Guardian could see the cracks in his mask. Nonetheless, he pressed on;

"He…he muttered something before the change. It's burned into my mind – he said 'Let 'em have it'. Then…then the whole space turned black. It was blacker than anything I've ever seen."

Marcus nodded slowly. He'd seen this a few times now, on other Order missions with his brother, when the blessings had been triggered. It never failed to leave an impression.

"Most darkness is an absence of light", Ark couldn't stop, "but this was different. It was a different type of darkness. It was an _aggressive_ Dark power. It was enough to strike fear even into those – what did you call them?"

"Mind Queens?"

"Yes, them. Even they began shrieking in terror. I was silent. I couldn't comprehend it. Then, I saw Milo. He was raised off the ground, glowing with a stark, blinding, painfully white light in his eyes. Not even his own Pokémon could stay near him, the aura of power was – was unthinkable; unthinkable, and so very _Dark_. Then – then he spoke."

This was always the creepiest part for Marcus. Yveltal and Zoroark always seemed to say the freakiest things when they possessed Milo. Hesitantly, he prompted the Eterna protector;

"What did they – he – say?"

"They?" Ark had caught his slip.

"I – yes. They. Milo has done this before. Let me guess; you heard three voices, correct? And only one of them was Milo's voice?"

"That's it exactly. The voices said, in unison, 'Look upon the instrument of your destruction'. Then everything started to shake as he built up a massive ball of Dark energy. The last thing I remember is hearing those same three voices scream as they hurled the Dark ball at those Mind Queens."

The two men sat in silence for a moment. Ark watched Marcus carefully, noting his every move, desperate to glean something from his reaction. Marcus, for his part, felt his heart sink even further into his stomach. Tiredly, he finished the story as he'd seen it, to provide the Aura Guardian with some meager sense of closure;

"I can tell you the rest; I was out in front of the building when it happened. I also felt the shaking as the power was building. I remember the scream clearly as well. When the attack struck, the Mind Queens were already halfway through teleporting away. They were certainly hit, and they won't trouble anyone again for some time, but they were still able to escape the full brunt of the blast, or else they'd be _very_ dead."

"They escaped?" Ark jumped out of his seat and pounded a fist on the table;

"Why on earth aren't we tracking these abominations down? They dared to attack _my_ city, and they will pay if it's the last thing I ever DO!"

Marcus only watched impassively as the man's rage built into a frenzy. One of his Lucario at last gave a short bark that seemed to bring his to his senses;

"Hmm? Ah, yes…yes, thank you, Ani. I'm getting ahead of myself again. Forgive me, my friend, I'm sure your Order is already doing everything within its power to find them."

"That we are", Marcus answered.

"Tell me", Ark settled back into his seat, "What Dark abilities does that boy possess? What kind of demon did he summon that could command that kind of power?"

"Milo used what we call the blessings of two Legendary Pokémon. He has a special connection to them, and he can call on them if he _really_ needs their help. However, it comes with a price, as I'm sure you can guess. He's left weak and exhausted beyond belief for days each time he uses that power."

"Incredible", Ark's voice was barely a whisper, "I can't fathom such a thing. Legendary Pokémon? It's…well, it's more than enough for me to ponder for the time being."

With that, Ark stood, offering his hand to the young man across from him,

"Thank you, Marcus, for answering my questions and filling in the gaps for me. I must go, but I wish your brother the speediest possible recovery. Farewell."

With that, the Aura Protector of Eterna stepped out of the office, still quite subdued. Marcus sat for a minute on his own. He had some processing of his own to get through.

 _It seems like those blessings get stronger the more powerful he gets. For crying out loud, he all but leveled that building with one attack! Geez…No wonder he's not such a fan of being sent out on missions any more. If it's scary for me, I can't imagine what it's like for him._

Unfortunately, Marcus knew the missions wouldn't stop. Not with the PsyForce Tribe acting more and more aggressively. The leaders of the Order were beginning to suspect a wider plot by the Psychic users, and things were looking as if they might come to a head before too long. If that were to happen…

 _If we get into a full-blown war with them, Milo will be thrown right in the middle of it all._

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Here's Chapter 20! Is it too cliché of me to do the six-month time jump like that? If so, please forgive me. Better that than a chapter or two of fluff to pass the time, right? Anyway, I've got other ideas for that time. Eventually I'd like to start a separate series of one-shots featuring events and adventures of the crew during that six-month break. For now, though, I thought it best to keep the action rolling!**

 **If you didn't notice, I put up a one-shot recently that tells Azura's full 'origin story', beyond just the glimpse we got in Chapter 5. It's called 'Milo and the Blue Umbreon: Moonlight Beginnings'. It doesn't add anything to the main plot, but I'm quite happy with it, so I'd humbly advise checking it out.**

 **Also, I've been told my battles are pretty good, so I put together a one-shot/guide about battle-writing for anyone who's looking for advice on writing Pokémon battles. I'm not the best, I'm no expert; I just put it up in case anyone wants free tips. That can also be found over on my profile, if you're intrigued.**

 **One thing I need to say about this chapter is a big shout out to Lunar Knight Archangel, who owns the character of Ark Monty. Many thanks as always for letting me use your wonderful OC!**

 **I have lots of other things I could say, but you guys don't want to hear me ramble on and on in the Author Notes, so I'll just say this; thank you for your time and attention! If you liked it, follow or favorite so you can keep up to date with the story! I would love to hear any thoughts in a review, if you're willing to share!**

 **Again, thank you sincerely for reading, I don't own Pokémon, and have a great day today!**


	21. Chapter 21 - Complications

Milo Chapter 21 – Complications

 **Milo**

Milo woke to Gardenia's gentle voice as the plane wheels bumped down onto the runway;

"Hey. Hey, Milo, we're landing."

Groggily, he roused himself from his much-needed slumber and grabbed his bags, shuffling off of the plane with the other passengers.

 _Bzzzz. Bzzzz bzzz bzzzz._

Milo glanced down at his watch as he followed the Eterna Leader from the terminal. It had just caught up with the messages he'd missed during the flight, and one of them made him double-take. It was from Kara;

 _Please don't freak out, it's not what it looks like._

That...was incredibly ominous, and made him apprehensive as they stepped blinking into the bright sunlight of Canalave.

"Milo! Oh my gosh, you're back! Hi!"

Kara was on him in a flash, hugging him so tightly he felt he might crack in half. He spun around as she attack-hugged him, mostly to absorb the impact without falling over. Smiling, he set her down and gave her a gentle kiss;

"Told you I'd come back, didn't I?"

He turned next to greet Amaya, who always stood aloof from these sorts of touchy-feely moments;

"Hey 'Maya, how's it – oh. Oh no. No, _hell_ no."

Kara grabbed ahold of his arm worriedly as he locked eyes with an unexpected member of their little welcoming committee.

"Milo", began the Performer pleadingly, "I told you, _please_ don't freak. Just let us explain, okay?"

"Oh there had _better_ be some explaining", Milo growled and took a rather threatening step forward, "What in the name of all that is good is _Damion_ doing here?"

The Veilstone Trainer stood his ground behind Amaya, saying nothing as he stared coolly back at Milo, hands in his pockets. His quiet stare felt like a challenge, earning him an extra glare from Kara, who had warned him in no uncertain terms to be on his best behavior.

"Hey, back off, Milo", said Amaya, stepping between the two boys, "He's cool. Come on, I'm glad you're back and all, now let's get going."

"Mind if I tag along?" Gardenia asked graciously, trying to diffuse the obviously volatile situation, "I'd like to check in on you guys, it's been a few weeks since we've had the chance to catch up."

"That would be lovely", answered Kara, relief evident in her voice. Between them, the Performer and the Gym Leader made just enough small talk to cover the painful silence going on behind them as the group walked back to the Pokémon Center.

They were rather a star-studded bunch, and both Amaya and Damion (the hotshot Rookies, of course) were stopped a few times for autographs and pictures. Gardenia also got her fair share of attention from adoring battle fans. Thankfully, nobody approached Milo, who was so visibly pissed off that only Kara dared go near him.

Those closest to the JPTA graduate had learned over the last few months that despite his usually cheerful disposition, a truly angry Milo could be terrifying, volatile, and _very_ dangerous. Once, after a particularly unpleasant and unsuccessful Order mission, Milo had lost control and all but demolished an abandoned building south of Oreburgh using Dark Aura and his own two hands.

The group found their rooms at the Pokémon Center and everyone but Damion settled themselves in Milo's room in apprehensive silence.

"Somebody explain this", he rumbled, seated darkly on the bed.

Amaya opened her mouth to answer, but Kara, situated carefully beside Milo, shot her a look that said only too plainly;

 _This requires delicacy, so you keep quiet. Let me._

Clearing her throat, she put a gentle hand on her boyfriend's back as she explained what had happened;

"We were surfing the Canalave Channel and we decided to take a break at the island in the middle. You know the one, right? It's so tiny, but it's really nice, such a perfect spot."

Milo nodded, still not making eye contact with anyone. Kara pressed on, undeterred;

"Well, I let Madame out for some fresh air – I figured she'd really like the open sea breeze, you know? Well, she came flying back really worked up about something, so we went to check it out, and it was Team Rocket!"

At that, the stony Milo finally looked up;

"Rocket? Was it _those_ Rockets? Annie and Oakley?"

Kara nodded, her face growing more serious;

"They were harassing Damion and threatening him. They had knocked his Pokémon down with String Shot and Hypnosis so he was defenseless, and they were strong-arming him into joining Team Rocket. They were even going to steal his team from him! How horrible is that? Luckily we got there and held them from getting away with Psychic. They're sitting in prison as we speak. But still, I'm shocked they would threaten him like that, you know?"

"That...that does suck pretty bad", Milo was forced to admit, "But he should never have gotten himself involved with them in the first place. When you mess with creeps like them, you're asking for some bad trouble."

"Yeah", scoffed Amaya, "because _nothing_ you do is dangerous or deals with criminals, Mr. Dark Secret Agent."

"That's different and you know it, 'Maya. I fight criminals. He freaking _hired them_! Why are you sticking up for that egotistic jerk after all the disgusting, idiotic stunts he's pulled? You know as well as I do that he's bad news!"

Amaya stood up now, her own face set like flint;

"What, is he not allowed to change? And people say _I'm_ stubborn! He's a different person from back then, Milo. You know that but you won't accept it. The rest of us can forgive him and move on, but apparently not you."

"Geez, 'Maya, what the hell's gotten into you? Don't tell me all his hitting on you is actually _working_? Whose friend are you, here?"

"Grow up, Milo. You know I'm right here with you like always. Just because I'm not as pissed as you about something from over half a year ago doesn't mean you have to fly off the handle."

Glaring daggers at his first travelling companion, Milo said quietly;

"I'm going out back to do some training."

As he rose swiftly and left the room, Gardenia hurriedly made to follow him out;

"Hey, Milo, wait! You're still not at 100%, you should be careful! Ugh, see you two in a bit. I'm going to go make sure he doesn't hurt himself. Again."

She hurried down the hallway, leaving 'Maya and Kara standing silently in the room.

"Well, that was inevitable", sighed the Performer, "but you didn't have to jump in. That really didn't help, 'Maya."

The Twinleaf Trainer shrugged, "It's Milo. He'll get over it once he burns off that excess energy."

She sounded quite confident, but Kara knew better. The shorter girl's gaze still lingered a bit longer on the doorway, and her face still showed concern.

 _Ugh_ , smiled Kara ruefully, _I have the craziest, most stubborn friends…_

"Just...try not to antagonize him anymore, okay? At least not until he cools off?"

Amaya smirked at that;

"Heh. I'll do my best. No promises, though."

Shaking her head and chuckling, the Floaroma native trudged her way out to the training field. Seeing Milo train without holding back, no matter the circumstances, was always entertaining.

This time around, given everything going on around him, he was trying and failing to bludgeon Ferra into submission. The Steel-Fighting type was patiently absorbing his hits, not fighting back too much. On one side of the field, Azura looked on worriedly, her tail flicking back and forth with nervous energy.

 _Papa…_

Milo's Lucario felt saddened at his rage, but also touched. She knew better than most exactly what he was going through. He had still pinned the blame for her parents' murder squarely on Damion's shoulders, hence his overreaction to seeing the Veilstone boy hanging out with his friends. She, for her part, just hated seeing her Papa so torn up, no matter the cause. She had also not totally forgiven Damion's part in her early life, but she had at least made peace with it all.

 _What he did was bad_ , she was talking to Milo as much as herself as she fell into the familiar rhythm of sparring with her Trainer, _Really, really bad. If it hadn't happened, though, you wouldn't be my Papa. I'm sad I never knew my Daddy, but I know he's proud of me, and I love you too, Papa…_

 _That's – that's no excuse! Just because it all worked out doesn't let him off the hook!_

Milo lunged in with a vicious haymaker, which Ferra calmly blocked with an arm, taking a step inside to force her Trainer backward a bit. Azura took the opportunity to try and reason with him;

 _He's not off the hook_ , she said as Ferra stepped in close once more to make him stop attacking, _But being mad isn't going to do anything! What if you were still mad at Jet for disobeying against Wake? Remember that?_

Lungs already heaving, both from fury and exertion, Milo stopped. He was shirtless, bruised, and scratched, but it felt good. It felt better to have pain outside than pain inside. Setting himself a more measured, calculated tempo, he resumed trading blows with Ferra;

 _I forgave Jet because I understood his reasoning._

Azura shot back instantly, _Have you ever tried to understand Damion's reasoning?_

 _How can there be an acceptable reason for murder?_

He was getting hot again, and lunged a bit too far in with an angry left kick. Ferra blocked this with another casual arm, and took the opportunity to sweep his feet from under him, buying herself a few seconds to respond as he crashed to the dirt.

 _What if he didn't know, Papa? He only hired them to steal my Egg, he might not have known about how they got it._

"Hey", called a voice from the door, "you got a sec, man?"

It was the last voice Milo wanted to hear, but there was Damion, the familiar scornful look on his face, leaning against the frame of the open door, twiddling a Pokéball in one hand.

"No", came the Jubilife boy's curt answer, "I have no time for you."

Damion gave a heavy sigh, and tried once more,

"Look, I know you don't want to see me, but can you just hear me out? One time, man, seriously. I just got something that needs saying."

Still breathing heavily from his work with Ferra, Milo turned abruptly to glare at his not-so-friendly rival.

"What? What the hell do you want?"

"Geez, chill. Okay, look", Damion frowned and stared intently at the ground, evidently having trouble forcing himself to say whatever was on his mind;

"I...I messed up."

"Oh, you think?" Milo spat, unable to restrain his fury.

"Come on, let me finish, for crying out loud! Okay, alright, here it is...I know it's my fault that your Lucario's parents, uh...didn't get to meet her. I know I can't just say 'sorry' and move on, but it's the best I got right now. For what it's worth...I really am sorry that happened."

Milo didn't quite know what to say. Everything he'd told himself he knew about Damion Parr suggested that 'apology' wasn't in his vocabulary...but there it was. Milo took a breath, and opened his mouth to respond, when Ferra cut him off.

The Lucario, aura visibly pulsing from her body, stepped up to face the Veilstone Trainer who had denied her a life with her natural parents. Damion's face seemed to pale, but he didn't back away.

Milo was so conflicted he couldn't pick a feeling, but part of him was very afraid when he saw Ferra cock her right fist back and set herself for a knockout punch. He could feel rage coursing through her mind, could see it in the dark blue aura pulsing out like tongues of flame from her body. The Aura Pokémon stood there for a second, clenched fist ready to crash into Damion's face. She stood there for two seconds...five seconds...ten seconds…

Then, Milo's breath left him in a rush as she brought her hand down slowly and offered it to Damion.

A handshake.

Her voice, projected by aura, filled the training field with raw emotion. It cracked only once or twice as she delivered her ultimatum;

" **I hated you. For a long time. I was an orphan because of you. Still...I wouldn't have met my Papa any other way. You can't ever fix what you did, but I've made peace with it. You messed up, and it hurt me a lot, but...I'm ready to stop hating you for it.** "

The blood visibly drained from Damion's face at her words. He couldn't comprehend it.

 _I...deserved that punch_ , he thought numbly, _not the handshake. Is she serious?_

Wordlessly, Damion accepted her handshake, his hand visibly trembling. Ferra nodded slowly, and turned back to face Milo;

" **See, Papa?** "

Damion visibly winced at hearing Ferra call Milo by this name. Milo, in turn, scowled because he could see he didn't have much choice in the matter.

"...Alright. Fine, I guess if Ferra can, then I'll also give you a second chance at a first impression. I still haven't forgotten all the nasty things you've said about 'Maya and Kara, though."

Grudgingly, he also shook Damion's hand.

"Uh...Cool", the Veilstone Trainer still had trouble meeting Milo's narrowed eyes, "So, in that case, mind if we split the training field?"

Milo only nodded before retreating to one half of the field and continuing his training. From just inside the Pokémon Center, Kara and Amaya had been listening in, courtesy of Florence's Psychic abilities.

"No way", Kara couldn't believe her ears, "Did that _really_ just happen? I mean, they were ready to rip each other's throats out, like, an hour ago! And now they just shake hands and train together? Seriously?"

Amaya shrugged, and answered with wisdom beyond her years;

"Boys are weird."

Outside, the two young men continued training without rest for another hour or so. Finally, when Milo was dripping with sweat from working with his team, and Damion's legs began to hurt from standing and yelling from the sidelines, the pair of them sat down on the steps leading to the back of the Center.

For a few seconds, neither one spoke. Finally, Damion nodded towards Ferra, who was currently going blow for blow with Blaze, despite her type and speed disadvantage.

"She's damn strong."

Milo nodded, "She works damn hard."

Another pause.

"Your Empoleon's pretty sturdy."

"Thanks. Being part Steel helps."

Yet another stretched silence.

"It's funny", Damion this time, "Since I found out what those witches did, seeing your Lucario fight always hurt inside. Now it feels...better."

Milo frowned and said nothing. He didn't trust himself to speak. Damion continued, uncomfortably, but also thoughtfully,

"That was one of the things that helped me get my shit together. You know, help me start actually caring about my team and all that."

"…Good", came the gruff answer.

"Just…thought you'd want to know that."

"Thanks."

Was it strained? You bet. Was it awkward? Unbelievably so. Yet somehow, that moment was a fresh spark between the two rivals. Friendship was way too strong a term as of yet, but…a new beginning was within reach. That tiny moment didn't last much longer, as Gardenia burst out and demanded Milo get some rest. He was still a day or two from being back to 100% physically, after the toll the blessings had taken on his energy levels.

The remainder of that day, and the next, slipped by without further incident. Milo and Damion were, notably, never on the field at the same time again. They'd made a great first step, but it was only that so far – a _first_ step.

The following morning, all three Trainers (and Kara) woke with a sense of purpose and determination. It was time to challenge Byron for their sixth badge. Given Milo and Amaya's (mostly Amaya's) status as minor celebrities, quite a few people showed up to watch the juggernaut Rookies pick up the Gym Circuit after six months off.

"Well", grinned the rather intimidating Byron, spade in hand as usual, "I knew you'd be coming, Veilstone boy, but you other two – you kept me waiting quite a while. What's with putting the old man on ice, eh?"

Milo opened his mouth, but closed it again, unsure of how to respond. With a booming laugh, Byron clapped him on the shoulder firmly and guided the Jubilife Trainer towards his staging room;

"Ah, don't worry, kid. I'm only playing around with you. Now give it your all, you hear? Let's put on a damn fine show for these folks. That's what they're here for!"

The aging Leader strolled off to get himself prepared to take the field, using his spade almost like a walking stick. With a last glance at his friends (and Damion), Milo grinned;

"Alright, here goes nothing, you guys. See you on the other side!"

Kara's bright face shone with anticipation;

"Good luck, Milo! I know you can win this!"

Amaya only nodded, and said with a grin;

"Wreck him."

With that, Milo heard his name from the announcer out in the stadium, and stepped out to face his sixth Gym battle against Byron's notoriously tough Steel type defensive strategies.

"The challenger has the first call!"

"Alright", Milo could feel a hint of the familiar spark inside as he gripped his first Pokéball, "let's get it going! Blaze, you're up!"

As Milo's fiery powerhouse sprang eagerly forward, Byron actually chuckled;

"Heh. I thought you'd try a stunt like that. Is that any way to respect your elders, kid? Bronzor, let's show him what we've got!"

 _A half-Psychic_ , thought Milo warily, _That's a veteran move if ever there was one. Fair play to him. Still…_

"No mercy, bud! Flare Blitz!"

A Gym-level Bronzor had no chance against the raw speed and power of a borderline professional Infernape. Byron's Bronze Pokémon went smashing backwards into the wall with a sickening crunch.

"Oh man", muttered the Leader, "this kid's for real. I was more worried about his pal, the one from Twinleaf, but…damn, that hurt. Okay Bronzor, try Hypnosis!"

"Evade and close in, Blaze! Double Team!"

Bronzor's Hypnosis struck at least three of Blaze's copies from Double Team, but the real Infernape was safely gone, using his escape to cover his approach from his enemy's left side;

"Perfect, now end it! Flamethrower!"

"Confuse Ray, Bronzor!"

Byron's reaction play was a clever one, but it wasn't fast enough. Blaze's brutal power and Milo's strategy left Bronzor down in just two hits. The only damage Blaze had taken was the recoil from Flare Blitz. Milo frowned, almost disappointed that the round was already over.

"Not bad, boy", Byron had a rueful grin. Deep down, he'd known his chances at a victory were marginal at best, but it was still harsh to be reminded so clearly that his Gym team had no chance.

"Let's see what you can do to Steelix!"

Milo only sighed. Blaze was more than ready for a Steelix, especially after months of training against Granite. This wouldn't be much trouble.

"Mach Punch!"

"Don't let him in, Steelix! Flash Cannon!"

"Break it off! Low Kick!"

"Another Flash Cannon, Steelix! Keep that thing away, no matter what!"

The Jubilife Trainer's eyes narrowed. His primary plan depended on Blaze breaking that line of ranged defense. Maybe that wouldn't be as simple as he'd hoped.

"Sidestep, and Flamethrower!"

Blaze grunted, obviously displeased at having to interrupt his natural flow. Nevertheless, he had more than enough speed to dodge the second Flash Cannon and shoot off a superb Flamethrower that rocked Byron's Iron Snake for huge damage.

"No rest, Blaze. Try Low Kick again."

 _He really wants to get in close_ , Byron knew, _He's looking for an opening for all those Fighting moves. If I let him in, I lose Steelix for sure._

"Earthquake, Steelix! This thing does _not_ get near us!"

A flash of inspiration born from memory struck Milo.

"Blaze, jump! Geodude tactics!"

 _Geo-what now? Oh wait! You mean THAT? Yeeessssss!_

Blaze's whole face lit up in excitement as he took a running start into a huge, flying leap straight at the unprepared Steelix. As the ground began heaving in what would've been a rather impressive Earthquake, Blaze latched on to the Iron Snake's body and unleashed a staggering Heat Wave at point blank range. The Flame Pokémon clutched tightly to his victim as the Ground attack subsided before releasing, pushing himself away with a Fire Punch to the Steel type's body. Milo knew the round was over;

"Perfect! Low Kick, and Close Combat!"

The hits rained in on Byron's second Pokémon until Blaze was satisfied that his opponent wasn't getting up. Byron was two down, and Blaze was still almost totally fresh.

"This sucks", complained Amaya in the stands, "Milo's not even giving him half a chance. Boring."

"Yeah", Kara was forced to agree, "I think he was afraid this might happen. He told me back in Hearthome that fighting the Gyms might not feel 'real' after all that training."

"Huh", nodded the Twinleaf girl, "Guess he was right. That's disappointing. Well, at least we get to see one of Byron's famous Bastiodon in action."

Sure enough, the Shield Pokémon had just appeared as Byron's last hope in this Gym challenge. Bastiodon was Byron's signature Pokémon, though the one on his Gym team was, as per protocol, a weaker one than his professional-level team anchor.

Still, Milo wasn't even fazed as he got straight to work;

"Double Team, Blaze. Low Kick when you're ready."

"Careful, Bastiodon. Iron Defense."

 _Can't let him get set up_ , thought Milo.

"Let's go for broke, pal! Flare Blitz, Close Combat! You have ten seconds to put this thing down!"

Byron's eyes shot wide open. Not at the tactics, those were fairly predictable; it was the sheer power with which they were executed. The lab-issued starter lit himself aflame so brilliantly that the audience could feel the temperature skyrocket within the stadium as he sprinted in, almost too fast to see, to deliver a vicious hit on Byron's last Pokémon.

 _Geez, how the hell is nobody taking this kid seriously when he's got this kind of power with just one of his Pokémon?_

With a shake of his head, the experienced Leader pulled out one of his favorite counters for fights like this;

"Now Metal Burst, Bastiodon!"

"Blaze, move!"

The wily Infernape didn't need the instruction. He was already halfway through a Quick Attack escape. Still, his brutal combo had brought him too close, and he took a hefty hit despite his attempted retreat as the Shield Pokémon reflected his own power back at him.

He'd had to break off his devastating combo attack, but he'd still gotten Flare Blitz in, as well as one or two good Close Combat hits.

"Alright, buddy", Milo had quickly regained his control, "Flamethrower. Don't hold back."

As his Fire attack rocketed towards the Steel beast, Byron took the direct approach, knowing Bastiodon wasn't nearly fast enough to do much else.

"Ancientpower!"

Quick as a flash, Milo did what he did best; he turned the tables.

"Around, Low Kick, Brick Break, then back off!"

Blaze had disappeared before Milo was done talking. His Quick Attack carried him all the way around to Bastiodon's unprotected back. His Low Kick brought it down hard, and Brick Break was the icing on the victory cake. He backed away with another Quick Attack as Milo had asked, wary of another Metal Burst, but it was unnecessary.

"Bastiodon is unable to battle! Infernape is the winner, and the match goes to Milo the challenger!"

The reaction from the crowd was subdued. Damion, who had shown up to see firsthand just how much his rival had grown, quietly muttered to himself the very thing most people were thinking;

"Well, damn. Did that just happen? He barely broke a sweat."

Milo offhandedly gave his permission for Byron to post the Gym battle recording, accepted the badge with grace, and left for the Pokémon Center. He met Jenks on the way, who was there to help him and Amaya sort out the inevitable media onslaught once their battles were over;

"You know, I was right", Milo commented to the expert journalist, "That didn't feel like it used to."

"How do you mean?" Jenks prodded with a knowing smile. He'd worked with more than a few Rookies, and had seen this reaction before. Milo just needed to talk through it.

"That was fun and all – hi, Nurse Joy, can you heal my team? Thanks – That was still a cool battle, but it felt like I didn't really have to get into it. Like, there was that one moment with the Steelix, but otherwise I just sort of pushed a bit and the whole Gym team fell over, you know?"

The pair sat in the lobby as Jenks offered a measured response;

"Well, you _did_ have a double type advantage. Also, deep down, I think you know these Gym battles don't matter anymore. In a way, you're kind of an addict. You've had more, fought in bigger fights, and now backtracking to a Gym-level battle just isn't enough to give you the rush you're looking for."

"That sounds awfully cynical", sighed the Jubilife Trainer, "but also scarily accurate."

"I wouldn't worry, Milo. All Trainers – at least the ones who actually go somewhere – have this same problem at some point. It's part of what drives them to push so hard for success. Very few Trainers are in it just for fame. Most, like you, are in it to feel that rush, to go all out in a big battle, win or lose. You're an adrenaline junkie like all the rest, my friend."

"Milo!" Nurse Joy hailed him, carrying his tray of Pokéballs in hand, all ready to go, "Your team is back to full health!"

Milo and Jenks made their way back just in time to take their seats for Amaya's battle. If the arena was full for Milo's fight, it was absolutely jam-packed now in anticipation of seeing Amaya, The Hammer, the Rookie sensation.

Impassive as ever, Amaya stood with her now iconic black headphones clamped over her ears with her arms crossed stoically in the challenger's box. She'd only recently confided to Milo that, at least during a particularly important battle, there was never any music playing in those headphones. They were actually noise-cancelling, to help her stay focused. At any rate, the headphones were part of her 'signature look', and a crucial part of any Amaya battle.

"Bronzor!" Byron called the same opening Pokémon he'd used against Milo.

"Granite. You're in."

Milo nodded, "Ah, she's just going to outgun him, pure and simple. Makes sense."

"Granite, Rock Polish."

Byron's eyes narrowed. He'd likely assumed the same thing as Milo, and was surprised to see Amaya use a setup move instead of launching right into an attack.

"Bronzor, Confuse Ray!"

"Don't let that off. Iron Tail."

Bronzor duly focused itself, preparing to release a Confuse Ray big enough to affect the Iron Snake, but it wasn't fast enough, because of Rock Polish, to avoid the massive Steel tail that smashed it into the wall with shattering force.

"Damn…Come on, Bronzor! Payback!"

The much smaller Pokémon went on the offensive, and was able to avoid an attempted tail swipe from Granite as it crashed headlong into the half Ground type. Amaya's Steelix grunted in surprise as he was actually forced backwards. Amaya wasn't having this, however, and countered brutally;

"Rock Tomb, and Slam."

"No! Bronzor, keep those rocks away with Confusion! Dodge left!"

It was a close thing, but the audience collectively gasped as Bronzor escaped the ground-shaking Slam by mere inches after weaving frantically around the Rock Tomb.

"Hypnosis!"

Just like that, Granite was incapacitated. There was no doubt that Amaya's Pokémon was far stronger than the Leader's Bronzor, but she'd been just barely outplayed. Byron waited a second, expecting her to make a substitution. She didn't.

 _What's she thinking? Well, I'll make her pay._

"Wail on it, Bronzor! Flash Cannon, Confusion, Extrasensory!"

A flurry of Psychic and Steel moves came flying in from the Bronze Pokémon, but after a few seconds, Amaya called out to her Iron Snake;

"Enough lying around, Granite! Iron Tail, end this!"

Granite didn't even bother to right himself. From his prone position on the floor, his eyes shot open and he twisted himself frighteningly fast to smash another Iron Tail into the unsuspecting Bronzor. The round was over.

Kara tugged at her boyfriend's shirt sleeve with a question;

"Was he faking it or something?"

"No", Milo responded with an incredulous shake of the head, "She just knows him well enough to guess how long Hypnosis would take to wear off. She estimated it perfectly. She's proving a point here; that's the only reason she left him in at all. Psh, what a showoff."

The crowd went wild at her display of raw power and endurance.

"Heh", Kara chuckled, "that's why they like her more than you. You win too quickly, but she's more…dramatic about it."

"Whatever", he shot back, "I don't need them to like me. I don't do it for them."

On the field, Amaya was now making the switch she should have made after Hypnosis.

"Coral, you're up."

The brilliant Milotic drew oohs and ahs from the onlookers as she burst into view opposite Byron's Steelix. This time the Gym Leader took the initiative;

"Earthquake, Steelix!"

"Respond with Hydro Pump."

Byron's hit was clean, and Coral winced at the power of the Ground attack, but she recovered well enough to launch a furious blast of water into the Steelix's face. She knew quite well how to aim for a Steelix's weak points after training for months with Granite, after all.

"KKRRAAAHHH!"

Steelix was reeling from the super effective raw power of his opponent.

"Flash Cannon, Steelix!"

As the shootout between the two powerhouses continued, Milo saw the slightest shift in Amaya's stance, the tiniest hint of a grin on her intense face;

"Oh, it's over now", he knew, "She's been _dying_ to show this off. Watch."

"Do it, Coral. Mirror Coat."

Gritting her teeth through the Flash Cannon, which was nothing to be sniffed at, Coral gave off a brilliant, brightly colored flash, and Steelix roared in pain as its attack was doubled and rebounded. With that, the round ended. Byron's Iron Snake was already down.

"Quite a move, that one", offered Byron, "you've drawn out my last Pokémon. Bastiodon, let's go!"

Amaya opted not to switch out, but got things started right away;

"Bulldoze, Coral!"

She'd correctly guessed that Byron's first play would be to use Iron Defense to shore up his staying power, and Coral's ambush preempted this by scoring a doubly super-effective hit on the Shield Pokémon, who was pushed back and roared in pain at the heavy damage.

"Hmm! Quick, Iron Defense!"

 _Better late than never_ , reasoned the Gym Leader, _time to build that back._

"Now Rest, Bastiodon!"

A soft glow emanated from the Steel-type as it sank down and fell asleep, recovering its health at an alarming rate.

"Gun him down, Coral! Hydro Pump and Water Pulse!"

Milo nodded at friend's audacity.

"Look", he explained, "Byron gambled that Rest could recover Bastiodon's health faster than Amaya could take it down, and she's called him on it. Looks like she was right…yep, there it is."

Sure enough, after a pounding from at least half a dozen high-powered Water moves, Bastiodon stirred from its slumber, only to fall over unconscious. A smooth victory for Amaya.

"Huh. Well, she got a clean win, I guess." The Jubilife Trainer turned to Kara, "Was my battle that boring?"

"Yep", answered the Performer, "except you only used one Pokémon. At last Amaya made a switch in the middle there."

She'd meant it as a joke, but she almost immediately regretted it, as Milo hung his head;

"Yeah…Dang. Guess I really was right. Sorry, I just…I don't know, I felt like it'd be disrespectful to not go all out, maybe."

"Hey", she grabbed his arm gently as they walked down to meet Amaya and head for the inevitable media appearance, "Listen, Milo, you knew this might happen, remember? It's okay; you don't have to worry about it. There'll be plenty of excitement in the Conference, right?"

"Yeah. I know."

Still, his hands remained tucked in his pockets, his eyes looked exhausted.

"I know!" Kara had struck gold, and she knew it, "How about you battle 'Maya later? That ought to get your blood pumping, right?"

"That…that would be fun. Hmm, good idea! Hey, hey 'Maya!"

They had just found their short friend languishing outside the media room, head bobbing along to whatever was going through her iconic headphones. Seeing the two of them approaching, she took them off and motioned with her head;

"Finally. Come on, Milo, we're up now."

"Sure, sure", the more he thought about it, the more excited he got about battling his friend again, "I have a question first; how about you and I have a practice match later? Just like old times, since the Gym battles were kind of a bust."

A smirk curled the Twinleaf girl's lips, "Ooh, now _there's_ an idea. Sure, I'm down."

Feeling much revived, Milo took a breath, released Azura, and stepped into the media room, immediately greeted by flashes, murmurs, and microphones;

"Milo! Amaya! Over here!"

Almost before they'd sat down, one exuberant man grabbed the master microphone and launched into a question;

"How would you compare this Gym battle to your previous challenges?"

Milo just nodded at Amaya, who leaned forward and responded;

"Eh, can't really compare, you know? We've had six months to power up; we're not really on Gym-challenge level anymore. This is just about qualification for me."

"What about you, Milo? Why bother with the Gyms when you've already qualified for this year's Conference?"

"Uh", he thought for a second about the 'safest' answer.

 _Milo_ , warned his Umbreon from her comfy position on his lap, _Don't you dare tell them you were thinking of stopping. This is a chance to play nice to the Gyms, and the League too._

 _Yeah_ , he groaned internally, _I hate politics, but you're right_.

"Well", he said into his microphone, "The Sinnoh Gym Circuit has long held a reputation for strength. Collecting all eight badges would be a tremendous honor, and my team and I are focusing everything we've got towards that goal."

"Amaya, over here! Thanks! I represent the Battle Informer, and we'd like to know how you think a battle between you and Milo would play out! After today's strong showing, do you think you could still beat him in a full match?"

"I never claimed I could beat Milo", came the instant, sharp response, "I don't get why everyone assumes I'd be the favorite in that battle. I'd be the underdog for sure."

That certainly caused a stir, and another question immediately came flying in;

"Is there any chance you two will actually have that battle any time soon? Milo and the Hammer would make quite the show."

"Well", Milo really wanted to move the interview along, "Assuming we finish the Gym Circuit, maybe that'll happen in the Conference."

It was just the type of even-keel comment most people expected of Milo. In many ways the two Trainers were mirror images of one another. While Milo was a volatile livewire on the field who deadpanned and nodded his way through interviews, Amaya was as stoic and invariable as could be in battle and then completely unpredictable when presented with a microphone.

"Amaya", came the next question, "I'm with the Veilstone Staraptor."

Milo's eyes narrowed for a split second before he mentally slipped on his blank mask. The Veilstone Staraptor – or Veil Star as it was commonly known – was definitely more of a tabloid than a valid news source, and was always looking to promote their 'hometown figure' Damion at Amaya's expense.

 _How did they manage to get in here?_

Evidently he wasn't the only one thinking this. From the corner of his eye, Milo spied Jenks as he began moving unobtrusively through the reporters towards the man, undoubtedly to pull him from the room as quietly as possible.

"Amaya", the man was rushing to get his question in, "We've had some comments from your sister here in the Canalave Women's Prison about a possible monetary connection between you two. Are you really planning to buy her out of jail? Doesn't this seem like an abuse of both wealth and influence on your part? What do you have to say about this connection?"

As soon as the question turned sour, Jenks had frantically begun shoving his way towards the main microphone, motioning emphatically at the security guard in the back to follow him. He reached the front just as the man finished his incredibly loaded question. Chaos exploded around the room as Jenks grabbed the microphone and immediately tried to throw whatever water he could on the fires of scandal and conspiracy;

"Ladies and gentlemen", began the panicked media manager over the instant hubbub, "this man is not even cleared to be in this room. If you place any value in journalistic integrity I urge you to disregard his baseless accusation and make no mention of it. Let's not have petty tabloid drama ruin the wonderful battles we saw today."

As if there wasn't enough uproar, the man actually yelled over Jenks as he was forcibly dragged from the room by security;

"It's true! Look it up, her sister is Maxine, inmate 2187! Look it up, it's all true!"

Still in shock, Milo looked sideways at Amaya. She was white as a sheet, staring straight ahead with wide eyes, mouth hanging open. As he watched, breathless, she placed her hands on the table to push herself out of the chair. Cameras were flashing like crazy, and she was visibly trembling. Her legs looked like they might well collapse under her.

Snapping into action to save his friend from this ambush, Milo leapt up, planting himself firmly between the cameras and Amaya while holding her up with an arm around her shoulder.

Leaning into one of the microphones he said;

"Excuse me a moment, I will be right back out to finish the interview."

As quickly as he could, he ushered the catatonic Amaya from the stage and back into the waiting room, where Kara was waiting, breathless. Looking intently at his girlfriend, Milo passed her the unresponsive Amaya and warned her;

"Make sure nobody – _nobody_ – talks to her. Nobody gets into this room until Jenks or I come and get her, alright?"

Kara nodded and responded firmly,

"I get it, 100%. Nobody is getting anything else from her. You need to get back out there, _right now_."

"I know, I'm going. Kara – thank you."

She nodded once more, "Milo, go."

Taking a second to paste a passable smile on his face, he sprang back out into the chaotic media room an made a big show of taking his seat before asking;

"Alright, now where were we? I'm more than willing to finish out the interview time as scheduled. Does anyone have questions about today's Gym battles?"

This subtle hint was, of course, disregarded completely as the next question came in;

"Milo, over here – Is there any merit at all to this claim? Is Amaya using her success to bail out an incarcerated sister?"

Milo fixed this reporter with a glare so intense that the man faltered and actually backed away from the microphone. Unrelentingly, Milo stared him down as he addressed the whole group;

"I'm going to say this exactly once. I absolutely will not take questions about that insanely rude, humiliating, and disrespectful interruption. If you have any sense of professionalism or personal ethics you will ignore it completely. If anyone mentions it again, I'm walking out of this interview."

With that said, the rest of the interview continued in a false sense of normalcy. The tension in the room could be cut like butter, but the incident itself remained a Donphan in the room. Not one reporter dared bring it up again, lest they lose Milo altogether. It wouldn't have been the first time he walked out halfway through an interview.

When the tense media coverage was at last brought to an unceremonious end by a subdued Jenks, the media expert found Milo, who was waiting for some kind of a status report;

"Walk with me", said the journo in a low voice. Milo followed him at a brisk pace down a few side streets;

"First things first; I don't know how exactly he got in, but I'm sorry. We think he forged, stole or bought a media pass from another news outlet, but we still should've been able to catch him."

"I don't blame you", said Milo with a sigh, "I don't think anyone could've seen that coming. What has Amaya told you?"

"She filled me in about Maxie. Seems like that clever jailbird actually reached out to the Veil Star of her own accord in order to put herself in the spotlight and force Amaya to follow through on their meeting."

"Tch", Milo glowered, "that's despicable. I'd already convinced her to go anyway; there was no need to put it in the public spotlight."

"I agree", nodded Jenks, "but now she'll want to use that as leverage to pressure 'Maya into some kind of a deal to actually buy her out. It's the kind of underhanded tactic I've had to get used to seeing over and over."

"Well", Milo was hesitant to ask, "uh, what do we do now?"

Jenks' shoulders drooped as he answered;

"I hate to say it, but…it seems like the best thing right now would be for 'Maya to go see her sister. We have to know what exactly the point is here. Until we know what Maxie wants I won't know the best way to play this."

The pair had arrived at the Pokémon Center, thankfully not having been stopped on the way. As they made their way down the hall to Amaya's rented room, Jenks added quite sternly;

"Still, no matter what, I won't ask her to do anything she doesn't want to. If she'd rather skip the visit I'll do what I can regardless."

Milo nodded silently, and then pushed open the door to his friend's room. Inside, Kara and Amaya sat huddled on the bed.

"Hey", began Amaya without looking up.

"Hi", Milo sat down across from her on the armchair, while Jenks leaned silently against the wall, "You holding up okay? I know that was one hell of a shock."

"Yeah", Amaya wasn't very convincing, "just…you know, surprised is all. Wasn't expecting it."

Milo nodded, "No kidding. What do you want to do now?"

With a deep breath, the Twinleaf girl set herself and said,

"Well, it's obvious. I can't really help but go see her now. Otherwise she'll keep doing this. That damn stubborn streak runs in the family. Milo…I hate asking, but nobody else would really get it. Will you come with me?"

"You'd have to convince me _not_ to, 'Maya", he gave a relieved smile and did his best to act encouraging, "you know I've always got your back."

"Okay. Let's go now, before I have any more time to think and freak out."

Milo and Jenks were both surprised at her suddenness, but Jenks knew better than to get in her way. He made a quick call to the Canalave Women's Prison, and within twenty minutes, a black car stopped in front of the facility, and the two young Trainers stepped out.

"Alright", Amaya was talking more to herself than anyone else, "I have to do this. I'm not doing anything for her, no matter what she says. I'm only here to prove I'm bigger than what she did to me. Milo…don't let me back down, okay?"

"Never", he rested a firm hand on her shoulder, and they exchanged a nod. They were received at the prison's front desk by Officer Jenny, who made them leave their Pokémon at the desk, for security purposes, before showing them into the visit room. Each station consisted of the usual booth setup, with two chairs separated by a pane of glass with a microphone for communication.

A guard motioned Amaya and Milo into the fourth booth from the end. Amaya sat in the chair while Milo stood behind her, arms crossed anxiously over his chest.

 **Amaya**

 _Keep your face straight_ , she repeated Kara's advice like a life-or-death mantra in her brain, _it's like a battle without Pokémon. Keep your cool no matter what. It's for you, not her._

There she was. Oh, geez, there she was, there was Maxie…

In many ways, she had hardly changed. The same sharp face, the same dark, fiery eyes, the athletic build, the subtle aura of confidence…it was all _painfully_ familiar. Already Amaya was forcing herself to keep her face as rock solid as possible. The one difference was Maxie's hair. She'd kept it dyed that sickly green Galactic color, kept it trimmed in that crisp, lifeless, neck-length style that marked her as a Galactic grunt.

With a sly grin, Amaya's older sister slid into the seat on the other side of the glass, and rubbed her hands together in anticipation.

"Well", her voice crackled to life through the microphone, "you got here even faster than I expected, little 'Maya. Were you really that excited to see your big sis? Oh, and you brought a friend. Adorable."

 _Keep your battle face on, keep it on…Keep it strong, dammit! She can't break me, come on Amaya._

"Maxie. Your hair sucks. I was going to come see you even without that stunt you pulled with the tabloid, you know."

"Really?" Maxie's smug smirk was just as unreadable as Amaya's own inscrutably blank expression, "Well, whatever. Still worth a laugh. Look, I really did want to see you, sis."

At this, her eyes got a dangerous gleam and she leaned forward towards the glass.

"I have a proposition for you. Sister to sister, eh?"

"I don't want to hear it, Maxie. I came here to tell you I'm done with you."

Amaya took a breath and made to continue, but Maxie wouldn't let her gain momentum;

"Now come on, 'Maya, hear me out. For old time's sake. You don't even want to know why I was so desperate to see you?"

For all her bravado, the younger sister's last spark of hope for Maxie's redemption was enough to make her falter for just a second. It was the opening Maxie needed to lay bare her true motives;

"Look, I'm up for an early release if I can come up with enough money. I've been rotting away in here for years, and if you could just help me out – just this once – I can rejoin the world. _Think about it_ , 'Maya! Me and you, just like old times! Remember when we were inseparable?"

Maxie wanted money? She was expected to buy her sister out of prison? Everything was happening so fast, bombarding her from every possible angle. Amaya just froze and stared at her only sibling. After all, she _did_ remember – very vividly – a time when the two of them were thick as thieves.

Those gilded childhood memories ambushed her mind, and in that moment, staring into Maxie's eager face, they felt _so good_ …Was it really possible? It had been years, and Galactic was long gone. Surely Maxie's mind would be her own again. She would come to her senses and they could pick those old threads back up once more.

"Hey. 'Maya." Milo's voice brought her to her senses, "Look at her. Remember why you're here."

Amaya blinked hard to clear her head and took a second look at her sister. She noticed again the short green haircut that was so iconic of Sinnoh's most infamous criminal organization.

 _She wouldn't keep the haircut if that was really behind her_ , realized the younger sister.

She met Maxie's eyes and saw, beyond the eagerness, a desperate hunger that had never been there as a child in Twinleaf. That was the look of a predator sizing up a juicy meal, not a sister longing for a sunshine-and-rainbows reunion. Breathing hard, Amaya gave the response she never imagined would be so difficult;

"I'm not doing anything for you. You abandoned us, Maxie, and you joined up with the worst criminals in the region. I've spent my life since then trying to get past the scars you left."

Maxie's brows furrowed and she became all the more insistent;

"You say that, sis, but look at where we are. It was _me_ who motivated you to become what you are. I was the first one to show you how weak you were, and look what it made you. You're The Hammer! Everything you are is because of _me_ , because _I_ set you on that path, because you had something to prove to _me_. Now you've proven it, and all I ask is that you repay me just a tiny bit. I know you're not hurting for cash, 'Maya, even Rookie tournaments pay more than enough to get me out of here."

"You think you _helped me?_ " Amaya jabbed a furious finger at the glass pane, "You _broke_ me, Maxie. I was never the same little innocent girl after you left. I became this lifeless, robotic… _me_ because it was the only way to get over the fact that _you_ tore me to shreds that day! You deserve every single day you have left in here, Maxie. I'll never help you."

Unable to continue, Amaya rose and made to leave, when Maxie made her stop;

"Like you're some kind of angel, huh?"

Amaya froze and half-turned back towards her sister;

"I mean, you skipped town the first chance you got, same as me. How often do _you_ call home? Mom and Dad probably have to follow your career just by hoping to catch your face on TV. Plus, you've dragged this Jubilife kid into your ridiculous need for self-vindication. Face it 'Maya. We're no different, you and I. You're not better than me. You're The Hammer _because_ of me, sister."

Amaya's eyes were clamped shut as tight as possible, and she took a few seconds to control her breathing enough to force out one sentence;

"You…you aren't my sister."

With that, she stepped away from the window, and past Milo. He made to follow when Maxie called again;

"Hey. You – Milo. Tell her if she doesn't buy me out, Giovanni will. He already came for Annie and Oakley; they're _long_ gone, and they promised they'd be back for me. I'm getting out of here, and either she helps me or I come back to haunt her."

 **Milo**

Milo didn't trust himself to respond. His heart sank lower than he thought possible as he stepped out of the booth to follow Amaya.

 _That_ , he thought, _went just as bad as I was afraid it might._

Amaya stood outside the booth, visibly trembling from the effort of controlling the broiling oceans of emotion cashing inside her. Milo turned to the guard;

"Is…there a private room we could use? We, uh, we need some time and space to process some stuff."

The man nodded sympathetically and gestured with one hand;

"No worries, we get that a lot. This room is free for you to use. Take as long as you need, alright?"

Milo nodded and wrapped one arm around Amaya's shoulders to guide her into the room. No sooner had the guard closed the door behind them than the small Twinleaf native collapsed into his chest and broke down completely.

"M-Milo, I – she – she broke me…I couldn't, I wasn't strong enough, she – I – why…why…"

"Shhh", he held his friend there, wrapped in his arms against the cruel twisting fates that assailed her. He was almost as shaken as she was by the whole exchange, Maxie was just so intense. She was intense just like 'Maya herself, only evil. It was like throwing an unstoppable force into an immovable object; something was always going to break.

At first, Amaya's grip on her friend was vice-like. Milo returned the hug as gently as he could, but had to force himself not to start wheezing from lack of air. Still, as the adrenaline and shock gave way to exhaustion, her arms loosened, and Amaya all but went limp over the next few minutes. Without lifting her head from Milo's now damp t-shirt, she eventually murmured;

"Maxie won't stop."

"We'll keep her away from you", Milo assured her, "no matter what, 'Maya."

"She won't quit", insisted the Twinleaf girl, "She'll keep calling attention to it – to herself and to us. I heard what she told you, too, and Team Rocket would be even worse."

"We can't worry about that right now. You came here. She said her piece, and you said yours. You don't have to see her again."

"I know...but now all my personal stuff is the whole region's business. This is going to follow me around no matter how successful I am, and there's _nothing_ I can do to stop it."

"Well", Milo answered with a wry grin, "then it would seem your older sibling has put a sizeable dent in your Rookie career. Welcome to the club, I'll get you a pin. What's your t-shirt size?"

At that, even the despondent Amaya couldn't resist a chuckle (which, combined with her sobbing and sniffling, was not the most graceful of sounds).

"Get me a large, maybe I can wear it as a dress."

Another sad chuckle, as the whirlwind of emotions at least began to settle back towards some semblance of normalcy.

After another couple of minutes, full of deep breaths and tired sighs, the pair were at last able to step back out of the private room, to the relief of the security guard;

"Ah, feeling better, I hope?"

"Yeah", answered Amaya, "just...needed to work through some stuff."

The guard nodded sagely, "I understand perfectly, miss, I've seen it all."

Jenks met the duo in the lobby and drove them back to the Pokémon Center;

"By the way; while we were figuring all that out, Damion barely beat Byron. It was a close thing; he leaned pretty heavily on his Empoleon, and it edged out Bastiodon right at the end."

They arrived at the Pokémon Center, and as Milo and Amaya made their way inside, Jenks seemed to remember something, rolling down his window to get their attention, "I figured you wouldn't want to hang around here any longer than necessary, so I've booked you all air tickets for Snowpoint the day after tomorrow."

"Fine by me", Milo nodded, "No reason to wait around."

"Perfect", Jenks smiled, "I've got other stuff going on, so I'll meet you kids there for the Showcase and your Gym battles. See you up north!"

The car sped off, and the two young Trainers spent the rest of the day and evening quietly. At one point, Milo offered to battle Amaya for training, as they had discussed earlier, but…

"I can't right now", came Amaya's dull response, "I'm just...not feeling it. Sorry."

 **Kara**

It was the day after Macie's surprise intervention, and somehow or other, she'd managed to convince Milo to accompany her to Canalave's famous Malltropolis. She knew shopping wasn't his favorite thing to do, but she was delighted that he'd agreed to humor her and come along on this occasion. After all, the alternative was to spend a silent day with the still-brooding 'Maya. It was clear that their friend needed the one-day break to recover from the shock of the whole Maxie affair, and it was always best to leave her to herself whenever she was ill-prepared for social contact.

"Oh, look", she grabbed his arm to pull him out of the clouds, "that little coffee shop is just the cutest thing, we should grab lunch there in a bit!"

 _Yay, food!_ Milo had brought Aurora along for company, and to burn off some of her evidently limitless energy, _Do they have grapes? Grapes are my very favorite!_

"Or we could just grab some food there right now", he offered, trying to sound indifferent, "You know, since Aurora's hungry and all."

"Umm, actually", Kara looked around, "I _really_ wanted to go over there to the Lopunny Lounge before lunch. They've got some really great ladies' wear that caught my eye earlier. There's a whole collection designed for travelling Trainers like us!"

Milo's face went beet red, despite his best efforts. It was clear what he thought of postponing lunch for a ladies' wear store, no matter how practical.

"Uh", he stammered and took a half-step towards the coffee shop, "You can go ahead and do that. I'll…I'll put our name in here and wait so we'll already have a table when you're done!"

Kara fixed him with a hands-on-hips glare and said, "Milo…I _asked_ you very _nicely_ if we could go to the Lopunny Lounge _before_ lunch."

 _Milo_ , even Aurora was subdued by her intensity, _don't make Kara mad. If she really wants those little tiny clothes we can go inside, right?_

Milo buried his face in his hands exasperatedly and said, "Kara, look, I'd really rather avoid going underwear shopping with you. I love you and all, but…that'd be really awkward."

Her glare was unrelenting as he tried to placate her with a sheepish grin…

"Bahaha!" The Performer could restrain herself no longer, and doubled over with laughter, "Oh, Milo I was joking! Wow, you should've seen your face just then…Ah, sorry, I couldn't pass it up. Seriously, though, I read online somewhere that LL's newest Trainer collection is totally made for comfort and durability, and…well, never mind, I don't expect you to care. Anyway, I won't be long, so if you could grab a table I'd be really grateful."

Breathing deeply with relief, Milo nodded emphatically, "Yeah, alright. Good thing, too, I'm starving."

 _She always gets you when she pretends like that_ , noted Milo's Evolution Pokémon as she trotted contentedly behind him into the coffee shop. It was a quaint little joint named Mugmortar that carried a rather catchy tagline – Always a fresh, hot brew. The inside was dimly lit and had a close, home-like atmosphere that made you want to snuggle in by a fireplace. Milo put his name in for a table and sat by the entrance, making sure to choose a seat that would shield him from most people's view.

"Guess I'm not the only one trying to be discreet", came a voice next to him.

He turned to see a young woman smiling calmly at him from another waiting seat. Her warm brown hair fell nicely on both sides of her head from underneath a particularly trendy red beanie cap, which perfectly matched her classy but simple red button-down t-shirt. Cute lily-white jeans and summer sandals rounded out her look, and she offered a hand as she introduced herself;

"Hi there! I'm", she paused and looked furtively around before leaning in and whispering, "I'm May Maple. Nice to meet you!"

Maple…The name was certainly familiar…

"Oh!" He remembered at last, and couldn't believe it had taken him more than a split second;

"You're the sister of Max Maple, right? Max, the famous Hoenn battler? Don't you do Contests or something?"

May gave a polite chuckle and a casual hair flip as she responded;

"Max's sister, huh? Well, you're not wrong, though it's been a while since I've been recognized quite like that. I guess you could say I 'do Contests or something'. You're…Milo, right? Rookie? Older brother's a Leader here?"

"Uh, yeah", Milo was simultaneously awed and embarrassed that such a renowned public figure would recognize him on sight, "that's me and Marcus."

Just then, the receptionist called out, "Delia, table for Delia? Delia?"

May looked up, and hastily grabbed a pair of sunglasses sitting next to her;

"Oh that's me, I borrowed Mrs. Ketchum's name…Milo, follow me. Play along."

Flummoxed, the young Trainer leaned down to pick up Aurora, who had been amusing herself diving in and out of the seat next to him.

 _Why are we being quiet, Milo?_

 _We're just being sneaky_ , he responded simply, _so nobody knows that we're us._

 _Oh…Who are we pretending to be instead?_

 _Nobody. Just…never mind. Just be still for a bit, okay?_

At that the little Evolution Pokémon made a big show of feigning sleep in Milo's arms, and he rolled his eyes. Meanwhile May's giant, gaudy sunglasses covered half of her face and rendered her passably anonymous to the unsuspecting observer. Milo followed her up to the counter and she motioned him with a wave;

"Come on, join me! It'll be good to have some company, I usually end up alone to avoid attention."

He nodded and followed, after asking the receptionist to scratch his own name from the list.

They fell to making small talk before joking about the pressures of media attention. May, as it turned out, had begun working with Palermo after the famous producer followed Serena's career in Hoenn. The Princess from Littleroot was surprisingly savvy in terms of battle-talk as well.

"You pick up tips from the pros when you get to the top of the Contest circuit", she explained, "though the styles are kind of different. Max is a big help, too."

"So", Milo was curious, "what brings you to Canalave?"

"Well, actually I'm just passing through on my way-"

"Milo, there you are! I told you I wouldn't be – Oh. My. Gosh."

Kara had returned from her last-minute shopping;

"That can't be…Milo, how…sorry, are you…?"

May gave a big smile and offered her hand;

"Nice to meet you, Kara. May Maple."

Kara sank weakly into the seat next to Milo, her eyes big as saucers as they stared at the famed Hoenn celebrity.

"Nice to meet you…I…" Kara blinked hard and tried to act normal, "Sorry, it's just – I'm such a huge fan and, you know, it's _really_ crazy to meet you all of a sudden, and I'm really honored that you're here-"

Kara finally had to stop to breathe and May chuckled;

"I'm surprised you think I'm a big deal, when your cousin is one of the only ones bigger than me. You grew up around Queen Serena herself, not to mention Ash, and you're this excited to meet the Hoenn Princess?"

"Yeah", Kara flushed with embarrassment, "Serena…I don't know; I guess she always just seemed more like a well-connected cousin than a celebrity. Hang on, why do you know that? I mean, I knew some people around Sinnoh had heard of me by now, but…you?"

May just winked, "Ha! Don't be so modest, miss Rookie Princess; lots of folks are singing your praises! I'm assuming you'll be at the Snowpoint Invitational?"

Kara was still recovering from the shock of meeting May, and Milo was watching the conversation like a ping-pong match, his head on a silent swivel between May and Kara. Before the Performer could answer, a young woman came by to take their order;

"Hi, welcome to Mugmortar, my name is Shelly and I'll be – wait…"

The girl's mouth dropped open and May gave a rueful grin, preparing to placate yet another hyperactive fan;

"Oh, no way", the waitress spewed, "you're _Milo_! Like, you're actually him!"

The young man in question blinked in stunned surprise. Of the three people at their table, he was probably the _least_ recognizable. Why him?

"Uh…yeah, that's me."

 _Oh no!_ Aurora poked her adorable head out from under the table, _She found out we're us! Quick, hide!_

"Oh man", Shelly was blushing the same way Kara had just done, "This is amazing, I absolutely love watching your battles! The way you and you team work is _so_ cool! I – I've wanted to make it as a Trainer my _whole life_ but I won't graduate for another two years, so for now I just follow the battling scene as closely as I can."

"Uh", Milo was a bit lost, but he'd done this a few times before and recovered pretty quickly, "Well, keep at it! I'm sure you'll make it when your time comes!"

At his encouragement, Shelly actually became rather misty-eyed;

"Y-you mean it? Wow! I promise I'll never give up, oh my gosh, thank you! I don't care what the news says; I think you're the best Rookie in years!"

After another minute or two of fawning, the girl at last calmed down enough to do her job. She took their lunch order and when she'd left, Kara leaned over and said;

"I have an idea, Milo. I appreciate you sticking with me for all this shopping, but I know it's not your favorite, so why don't you see if Shelly wants a battle after lunch? You can go have some fun while I finish up."

Milo raised an eyebrow;

"I…feel like this is a trap. I really don't mind sticking around for more shopping, you know. It's, uh, not that bad."

Kara smiled and gave him a trademark light punch to the shoulder,

"Good catch, you, but this time it's not a trap. I'm serious. You should get more used to dealing with attention anyway, and this'll help. Besides", she smirked, "this way I can focus on my shopping and not the cute guy following me around like a sad Poochyena."

"Hey, I know", May cut in, "Kara, let me come with you! I rarely get company that's not just looking for autographs; it'd be nice to shop with a fellow Princess. What do you say?"

Kara beamed and nodded emphatically, "Oh, I'd be honored! Wow, thanks! So there you go, Milo. Deal?"

Taking a few extra seconds to make _sure_ this wasn't a trap, Milo slowly assented;

"Well…I guess that's a plan then, if you're sure."

When Shelly finally came back a few minutes later with their coffee, Milo stopped her and asked;

"Hey, by the way, when do you get off?"

The poor girl of course misunderstood Milo's poorly worded question and stood stock still, blood draining from her face, eyes wide with horror as they flicked between Milo and Kara.

"Huh?" Milo raised an eyebrow before reconsidering, "Wait, oh…OH! No, no, ah – I didn't mean – sorry, that came out wrong. Uh, I just wanted to know if you'd like to have a battle later, when your shift is over."

This, if possible, made the girl lose even more color from her face, though her shock quickly turned into a massive smile.

"Do you mean it?"

"Of course", Milo answered sincerely, trying to ignore Kara's cackling at his terrible phrasing earlier, "isn't there a Battle Park just a few blocks from the mall?"

"Y-yeah, there is! I, umm", Shelly glanced quickly at her watch, "I'm done in about 45 minutes, is that okay?"

"Great!" Her excitement was infectious, and Milo wore a huge grin himself, "I'll meet you right outside here, okay?"

"Oh my gosh, I can't believe this is real…Yeah, of course! I'll be there!"

With something to look forward to besides endless stores full of what looked like the same clothes, Milo found it much easier to ignore Kara's teasing about accidentally flirting with another girl in front of his girlfriend.

"Ah, boys", May chimed in, "I guess being a bigshot Trainer has its tradeoffs after all; Ash was always just as clueless as you, Milo. You know, sometimes I wonder what might've been if I would've been as bold as Serena was."

Kara couldn't resist digging deeper into May's wistful remark, but Milo's mind drifted again to the upcoming battle. Soon enough, the time had come. He waved the two Princesses off as they returned to their no doubt expensive excursion and sat down outside Mugmortar, Aurora still tucked neatly into his lap like a warm, furry pillow. He had hardly settled into his bench for more than a couple minutes when a breathless Shelly came running out of the coffee shop;

"Hi, Milo! Wow, I still can't believe how cool this is. Thanks _so_ much, I can't wait!"

"Yeah, me either", he admitted, "But first, do you know how to get to the Battle Park? I've, uh, not spent much time in Canalave."

"Oh, no problem! It's this way, not far at all."

Shelly's blonde hair bounced merrily in the ponytail on the side of her head as she led Milo to the place. Battle Parks were a fun place to have informal battles, and most decent-sized cities, especially those with Gyms, had at least a few such parks scattered around. They were also great places to scout fresh talent, since de facto communities of local Trainers formed around each park.

Imagine the shocked murmurs at Portside Battle Park in northeast Canalave, then, when a recognized semi-pro champ like Milo casually strolled up and began asking around for an open field. He and Shelly were quickly accommodated at one of the more visible fields in the middle of the park.

"Okay Shelly", Milo called across the field, "What are the rules here? How many Pokémon do you have?"

"I've only got two", was the nervous response from the young waitress.

"No worries! How about two 1 – on – 1 battles, then? Sound good to you?"

"O – okay", Shelly took a deep breath, "Then I'll start with Glameow!"

The Catty Pokémon emerged primly onto the field, and Milo made his first call, "I'll go with Aurora first!"

The few dozen local battlers who were watching with great anticipation cheered appreciatively, though Milo could also hear a few groans of disappointment mixed in.

 _Hmm. People are still underestimating Aurora because she's not evolved._

 _Milo_ , asked the young Eevee, _this is just for fun, right?_

 _Yeah_ , he replied quickly, _but these people watching don't think you're very strong. Prove them wrong, girl! Let's put on a show!_

"Okay, Shelly", he called aloud, "the honor is yours; go ahead and start us off!"

"Right", her face was screwed up with utter determination, "Glameow, start with a Scratch!"

"Don't move", Milo coached his own Normal type, "let it come to you, and block."

Aurora just blinked and grinned, twitching her ears jovially at the onrushing Glameow. Just as Shelly's Pokémon reared back its claw for a respectable Scratch, its face smashed into a translucent blue shield.

"Ugh, I should've seen that coming, I forgot she had Protect. Quick, Glameow, try using Fury Swipes!"

"Clever", Milo nodded in approval, "trying to wait out the Protect, I like it. Aurora, don't let that happen! Knock that Glameow away!"

Still sitting in the same spot she'd started in, Aurora unleashed a barrage of white energy – a Return attack – that sent Shelly's Normal type flying.

"Wow", commented the girl, "one hit. Oh well. Glameow, come on back!"

"Hey", Milo reassured her, "Don't forget there's a huge training gap here. That trick would've worked on a lot of people, using Fury Swipes there was a great idea!"

"Th-thanks", some measure of confidence seemed to be restored in Milo's fan, and she took a breath to set herself before releasing her next Pokémon;

"Okay, you're in, Wingull!"

"You did a great job, Aurora, now let 'Zura have her turn."

As Milo's most recognizable Pokémon emerged, brimming with a quiet confidence as always, excited murmurs spread through the crowd. What a treat – to see Milo and Azura in action! They were a virtually unstoppable team. Well, except for Amaya, of course…right?

 _This should be a nice change of pace_ , commented the Moonlight Pokémon languidly as she stretched her legs out.

"You start again, Shelly", Milo called.

"Supersonic, Wingull!"

"Away quick, go in but keep a buffer", countered the Jubilife Trainer instantly. He was surprised at how much fun this was. He'd always cringed at public recognition, but…having an actual battle with one of his fans felt _really_ good. It felt real. He was doing what he loved, not putting on a show for cameras and signing random scraps of whatever was shoved in his face.

On the field, Azura launched a modest Pursuit into her opponent's back before retreating to a safe distance. Supersonic was much harder to dodge up close, and Wingull were famous for using the confusing move.

She'd pulled her hit, so the Seagull Pokémon was able to peel itself off the ground and get laboriously back into the air.

"Whoa", Shelly was in awe of the shiny Umbreon's casual dominance, "you didn't even have to call the move out…Right, Wingull! We need to land a hit; use Aerial Ace!"

"Clever again! Meet it", was Milo's only advice to his Dark type.

Azura sat perfectly still as the Wingull sped towards her, using its unerring Aerial Ace…WHAM! At the last possible second, she released a Dark Pulse that sent the Flying-Water type spinning back comically, almost like a baseball. Just like that, it was over, and Milo strode forward to congratulate Shelly;

"Hey, that was great! Thanks for the battle!"

"Yeah", the girl was beaten, but still beaming, "I got wrecked, but…wow, that was _so_ cool! Thank you, thank you, _thank you_!"

"Hey, don't mention it", he was grinning himself, still pleasantly surprised by how much fun the casual battle had been, "I feel like I should thank you! Listen, I may stick around here and keep going, if you'd like to stay and watch."

She nodded fervently, stars in her eyes as Milo turned to the onlookers. This was impulsive, he knew, but it felt right somehow;

"Alright", he called, "who's next?"

 **Maxie**

 _This is it_ , she thought to herself as the customary cuffs were applied to her wrists and ankles, _One way or another I'm about to be free._

She'd been informed that she 'had a visitor' and the only question was whether it was her oh-so-predictable little sister or Giovanni coming through for her earlier than promised. Meeting the Rockets behind bars had been a real stroke of luck; it had provided exactly the leverage she needed to twist Amaya's arm into helping her. She really had no intention of doing anything for Team Rocket, they were just a safety net to her; a literal get-out-of-jail-free card in case Amaya wouldn't play ball.

Satisfied that her aggressive scheming was about to pay out, Maxie entered the designated booth and situated herself in front of the glass.

 _Ah_ , she thought smugly, _It's Amaya after all. I knew she'd see it my way eventually._

"Hey little sis", she smirked, "So you came around after all. Thought you would. Ready to tear it up like we used to? I see you didn't bring your little friend this time."

"Nah", Amaya's voice was as dead and stony as her face, "Just me. I'm not here to buy you out, Maxie."

"What?" Well, this certainly threw a wrench in her plans, "Then why the hell are you wasting my time? I'm not going to sit through another lecture on how sad and victimized you are."

"Shut up and listen to me", countered Amaya. The sharpness in her younger sister's voice made Maxie pause, made her eyes narrow. The Rookie Trainer looked up, meeting the incarcerated sister's eyes with a fierce stare;

"I've been thinking a lot since yesterday. I'm not the naive idiot I used to be, Maxie; I know damn well that you're just trying to use me to get out."

Maxie opened her mouth to make up some feeble defense, but Amaya kept going;

"I said shut up and listen! I hate what you did and what you said to me, but I take back what I told you. You're still my sister, no matter what I think of your crappy life choices. I came here to offer you a deal."

Maxie was, for once, speechless. Whatever she may have expected, this was definitely not it.

 _Time to be adaptable_ , she told herself.

"Alright, let's hear it. Fair warning; if you're not offering a way out, my answer is no."

"I'm offering you what you said you wanted", countered Amaya, "the chance to be sisters again, like before, or at least as close as we can get."

Maxie sat silently, doing her best not to betray anything as Amaya took a deep breath before making her offer;

"I looked up your sentence. Without that buyout, you have two years left. I'm not paying your way out early, and if you use the Rockets to get out, you either start over as a grunt and the cops hunt you down, or you ditch the Rockets and _they_ hunt you down."

Maxie didn't trust herself to speak. She hadn't considered it that way. The cops had a lot of information on her, and Team Rocket's bad side was a _very_ dangerous place to be.

 _That...is actually a fair point, little 'Maya._

"Where are you going with this? You haven't left me with much."

"Here's my offer. You wait out your two years fair and square, maybe a bit less if they give you 'good behavior'. Then when you get out I'll find you and we can be sisters again. I'll support you, help you get going as a Trainer, whatever you need. Well?"

Maxie said nothing. She was finding this offer surprisingly tantalizing. She hadn't gotten so far as to consider what she would do after she got out. She hadn't planned any farther than just getting out.

 _I've got a quick way to freedom_ , she reasoned, _but that lands me as a runaway or a Rocket grunt. I already tried crime – didn't really pay out. On the other hand, I sit inside for another couple years but end up with a connection and some support waiting for me…_

"That's some kind of deal, little sis. I'm not sure you understand how long two years is. You're asking me to waste two more whole _years_ of my life in here so I can keep my conscience clear?"

"If you don't wait the two years, you either end up back in here eventually, or dead because you ran from Team Rocket. Screw your conscience, putting the time in now is your only way to be secure when you're finally out. Just think about it."

"I...give me some time, 'Maya. I'll admit, you're throwing me for a loop here, it's my turn to think things over."

"Sure", Amaya stood up, still perfectly impassive, "I just came to offer you what you said you wanted. I do have one more condition, by the way."

"Yeah? Let's hear it."

"Ditch the Galactic hair. It really does suck. You look like a hag."

At that, Maxie couldn't hold back a chuckle;

"Heh. Fair enough. What, did you think I kept this out of loyalty? I kept this because Galactic's name still carries weight in here. When people know I ran with that lunatic Cyrus and his crew, they cut me a wide berth. I freaking hate that bunch of morons, though; they tricked me, lied to me, and took advantage of my ambition."

"I don't care", Amaya shot back, "You want my help? I'm only here for my sister, not some grunt. Lose the hairdo."

"Alright, okay, chill out", the older sibling raised her hands in mock surrender, "How's this; _if_ I decide to wait for your deal, I'll ditch the green hair by the time I'm out, but not before. I have to keep myself safe in here somehow, you know?"

Amaya narrowed her eyes and paused…

"Hmm. Fine. I don't care, so long as it's gone by the time you're out."

"You're still stubborn as all hell, little sis, that'll never change. I'll think about that deal, but no promises. Two years is a damn long time."

Amaya said nothing, just stood and walked out, leaving Maxie with a head full of challenging thoughts and...was that nostalgia?

 _Amaya was right_ , she reminded herself, _I was just using her as a free way out without owing Rocket a favor. Still, I can't deny that getting my sister back would feel good. Ah, hell...What to do…_

"Hey", she poked her head out of the booth and called to the guard, "Can I get a quick phone call?"

"Phone call? What for?"

"A friend on the outside."

The guardswoman rolled her eyes, "Yeah, like _that's_ going to convince me."

"Ah, come on, Helen, you know me. What the hell am I going to do with a phone call? Just want to talk to someone real quick. Come on, five minutes?"

Helen was one of the more reasonable guards. She regarded Maxie carefully before grudgingly relenting;

"Well, fine. One call, five minutes, got it?"

"You're a lifesaver, Helen. A real peach."

Maxie picked up the phone and dialed the number Annie and Oakley had left her;

"Hello?"

"Eh? Viridian Gym, I'm Annabelle, what do you want?"

"Annabelle, it's me. Maxie?"

"Maxie...Oh. Oh! What the hell are you calling for? I – ahem – _wasn't expecting you_ for a while."

It was a not-so-subtle hint. Placing a recorded call like this was risky to both Maxie and the newly freed Rockets, who were laying low in Kanto for the time being. Maxie was careful to disguise her words, just in case someone was listening;

"Yeah, I know. Uh, listen, I just got a visit from my sister and it got me thinking – it's been a while since I saw you, how long do you think it'll be until you might...you know, come visit?"

"How long…? Listen, Maxie, you know I'm coming. I'll _visit you_ next week, just like I told you before."

"Yeah, next week...So, the reason I'm calling is because, like I said, little 'Maya just came around, and I've got a lot to think about. I don't want you to see me like this, so could you hold off? I'll let you know when I've sorted out my personal stuff and you can come visit then, okay?"

"Hold off? What the hell's wrong with you? I said I would be coming to _visit you next week_ , you hear me? I'll be there and so will you."

"No. Don't visit. Not until I tell you. I'm serious, Annabelle, I have some things I need to figure out here."

"...You're crazy. Fine, I'll hold off, but you better have a _damn_ good reason."

"Goodbye, Annabelle."

Maxie hung up and smiled tiredly at Helen.

"Alright, come on", motioned the guard, "Dinner's still on, let's go."

Maxie walked silently. Her head was suddenly full of an unfamiliar feeling; doubt. Every instinct was screaming at her to take the quick out and trust that the Rockets could keep her out of jail. And yet a small voice inside her reminded her she'd trusted Galactic the exact same way.

 _Yeah,_ she thought, _and look how that ended up._

She'd laid on the false nostalgia thick and heavy for Amaya's first visit, but now the genuine article was invading her memory. Despite herself, she'd truly enjoyed talking to her sister. The conversation had been tense, sure, but it felt like familiar ground. It was such a welcome change to talk to someone she understood, and who understood her in return.

 _Maybe I really should just wait it out. Still, that's two years. 24 more months. That's a long damn time. Ah, crap. How'd you get to me 'Maya? What am I going to do? I just...don't know anymore…_

 **Amaya**

Everything about her conversation with Maxie had been calculated and precise. After thinking long and hard all night and all morning, debating furiously with herself, she'd planned out exactly what message she wanted to deliver and how she should deliver it. By some miracle, it had worked. However much Maxie had changed, Amaya still _knew_ her, knew how to read her.

 _I definitely rattled her cage_ , the Twinleaf girl told herself as she stepped into the early evening sunlight of Canalave, _All I can do now is hope she does the sensible thing and waits her two years out. We'll see._

"Fancy meeting you here", came a voice that jolted her from her musings.

"Hmm? Oh, it's you. What do you want, Damion?"

The Veilstone Trainer fell into step next to her and shrugged, "Just walking. Headed to the Battle Park to watch the show. I'm surprised you're not there already."

Amaya peered suspiciously at the young man;

"Why would I be there? What show are you talking about?"

"You don't know? Huh. Weird. Well, word on the street is that Milo's taking on anybody who wants a piece of his team at the Portside Battle Park, just a few blocks that way. I was going to show up and maybe spoil his party, just for a laugh."

"Jerk. Hey, when are you headed to Snowpoint?"

"Got a flight tomorrow morning."

"Huh. Us too."

Amaya vaguely realized she was headed towards the Battle Park. She didn't much care. She was too drained, mentally and emotionally, to care much about anything. She was too tired to even complain that Damion was chatting her up again.

"Yeah? Cool", he nodded.

"What, no flirty remarks?" She shot him a glance, seeing if she could get a rise out of him, "You've been around me for twenty seconds and I'm not disgusted yet. What a nice change."

"Rub it in, why don't you?" Damion shot back, "After all those months of rejection, I think I can take a hint. I give up."

"...Finally."

The pair of them walked in silence now. The Battle Park came into view. It was hard to miss, with a couple hundred people packed in around one of the fields in the middle. A draconic roar resounded from the center of the action.

"Well, there's Drake", remarked Amaya, "I'd know that sound anywhere. Usually means one of my team is about to hit the dirt."

"What", Damion goaded, "you can't take that thing down?"

"Drake?" Amaya raised an eyebrow at him as they began working their way through the crowd to see the battle, "You've seen him fight. That thing's a monster. I'd need at least two or three to take him out. On a good day."

They finally got near enough to see Milo's Garchomp standing victorious over an unconscious Golduck. The Duck Pokémon's owner returned it and shook Milo's hand ruefully, as a stocky teenager called from the front line of spectators;

"Dibs on next!"

Amaya chuckled and turned to her Veilstone rival;

"Told you. Drake wins again."

"Yeah, whatever", Damion tried to look unimpressed at the Dragon's might, "Damn, that Milo's just got something else. I don't get him."

"He's got some weird quirks", nodded Amaya, "but he's not bad. Speaking of quirks, I know he'll be pissed that we can't travel Route 217 on our own. He was dead set on doing the whole Gym Circuit on foot when we started."

"That's stupid", Damion blurted, "What's the point in wasting time?"

"Hey, shut up", Amaya gave him a shove and defended her friend, "It gave us time to train and get to know our teams better. Maybe _you_ should consider it, sounds like something you need pretty badly."

"Wow", Damion looked down at her as Milo began his next battle, sending out Jet to handle a Staravia, "At least get me an ice pack if you're going to roast me like that."

"Get over it, you baby", came her indifferent response.

There was another pause before Damion offered a random tidbit;

"That route's been closed to Trainer traffic for a while now, anyway. Nobody's allowed to make that trip by foot."

"Seems pretty dumb", answered Amaya as the Staravia crumpled under an Ice Beam. Milo and his opponent switched, and now Aurora was facing down a Beautifly.

Damion looked almost incredulous;

"You never heard why they closed it?"

"Why?"

"One of Sinnoh's greatest recent Trainers _died_ there. He went for some extreme training and they found him days later, frozen over. That place just isn't safe."

"Frozen over? Damn. I guess that makes sense, then. Who was it? Anybody I'd recognize?"

Damion's eyes seemed to glaze over as he uttered the name with utmost reverence;

"It was Paul Shinji."

"Wait", Amaya turned to face the Veilstone boy, " _that_ Paul? The Paul that was set to be Ash Ketchum's career rival? I knew he wasn't around anymore, but I never heard he _died_."

"Yeah", said Damion solemnly, "The news really hit me hard when it happened. He graduated from the VPC, you know. He was my hometown hero, growing up. He was the only one strong enough to do something against Ash, but then he took it one step too far. He tried to do something he couldn't, and he paid for it."

"Wow", Amaya was taken aback at his seriousness, "that's a tough break."

Out on the field, Milo's Eevee had just comfortably finished off the Beautifly, and several Trainers were vying for the right to challenge Milo's 'unbeatable' team next. Amaya's face flashed with an almost evil smirk, and she stepped out of the crowd;

"I think _I'll_ take the next turn", she called aloud, "That is, if Milo's not afraid to fight The Hammer."

A massive cheer erupted from the crowd, one of shock and anticipation.

"Hey there, 'Maya!" Milo called to his travelling companion, just as surprised to see her as anyone else, "Thanks for dropping by, I guess. How do you want it? Two 1v1's has been the norm of the day."

"Fine by me", she countered, standing herself firmly in the box opposite her Jubilife friend.

"How about starter versus starter and then ace versus ace?"

"You're pulling out all the stops, Milo. I like it. Terrus, let's make it happen!"

"Blaze, give him hell!"

The two old rivals glared daggers at one another as the assembled crowd screamed in delight…and also backed away for safety.

"Okay pal, let's lead with Heat Wave!"

As Blaze began putting off a blinding wave heat and fire, Amaya countered shrewdly;

"Cut him off with Earth Power!"

"We've got him now, Blaze! Flare Blitz!"

Blaze had used the blinding light of Heat Wave to disguise his move to close in, and Flare Blitz struck Amaya's starter well before Earth Power could do any significant damage. Worse still, the Heat Wave came flying in afterwards. Her only consolation was that Flare Blitz caused Blaze some recoil damage. Well that and…

"He's too close for his own good, Terrus! Frenzy Plant!"

"Ha, good play, 'Maya! Blaze, up!"

As the Flame Pokémon leapt into the air, Amaya made the requisite adjustment;

"Time a Crunch on his way down!"

Terrus was not one to be flustered by a few early hits. He eyed Blaze with laser sharp focus as the fire starter fell towards him. Milo was not the only one whose team could act without direct orders; Terrus kept both eyes on Blaze and poured more energy into his Frenzy Plant, expanding it upwards towards his falling opponent.

"Ah…Tight spot here bud, you'll have to bust out the hard way!"

Blaze gritted his teeth. Sure enough, he was unable to alter his trajectory as Frenzy Plant hammered him straight into Terrus' waiting Crunch attack. Nonetheless, he was no eggshell himself. He ignited his fists and feet and swung a few savage Fire Punch and Blaze Kick attacks at any part of the Continent Pokémon's massive body he could reach.

"End it, Blaze", called Milo as his Infernape rained fire on his rival, "He's a big guy; take him down and make him pay."

 _Big guy, huh? I get you, Milo. Low Kick it is._

Blaze smirked and ducked low under an Energy Ball from the mighty Torterra. With one powerful Low Kick, Terrus hit the dirt, and a Flamethrower for good measure ended the round. A roar from the watchers greeted them, and the two friends exchanged nods before continuing straight on to the second matchup;

"Coral, you're up!"

"Azura, let's go!"

The two team aces nodded respectfully to one another;

 _Ah_ , Azura greeted her opponent, _Coral, my friend, I was hoping we'd get to spar again soon. This should be fun. Milo? Shall we?_

 _Hehe_ , the Trainer had that unmistakable fire in his eyes, _You bet we shall!_

"Dark Pulse!"

"It's a fake, Coral, don't bite! Wait for the trick!"

The wave of Dark energy came rushing in and Amaya waited for the second move – the _real_ move she knew was hiding behind the smokescreen that was Azura's Dark Pulse. She'd fallen for this too many times already, it wouldn't happen here.

 _Come on, Milo,_ she thought in slow motion as the Dark attack came flying across the field, _I'll win this game of chicken, come on…Call your real move…Come on…Ah, crap! This one's real!_

As the attack smashed into Coral, Amaya held her head in her hands. She'd called a nonexistent bluff.

"Alright", she set herself and got back into it, "He got us, but here's where we turn it around! Water Pulse, then Twister! Get those up, then we can make up for lost time!"

Making up for lost time was a signal to Coral – one that the Tender Pokémon recognized instantly. The combo move was quite ingenious. Twister on its own wasn't enough to throw off Azura, but forcing her to move with the wide-ranged Water Pulse and _then_ hiding behind a Twister did the trick. The Umbreon tried to target Amaya's Water type with a Shadow Ball through the Dragon move, but her aim was off. It was the chance Coral needed to 'make up for lost time' by using Recover. When the battlefield cleared, the Milotic had all but erased the damage from the early Dark Pulse.

"Hmph, clever play there, 'Maya. My turn – Hyper Beam!"

One of Azura's newer attacks, Hyper Beam was a much bigger move than most of her others, and Amaya knew it was thus more unwieldly than Milo was accustomed to. It left an opening that she could exploit;

"Ice Beam response! Then down and let her have it!"

"Ha! Here's the fake you were looking for earlier, 'Maya! Dark Pulse!"

It was too late to stop it; the Hyper Beam was never fired. The shiny Dark type easily sidestepped Coral's Ice Beam, and Amaya's Milotic was already ducking down low to blast off a Hydro Pump. Before she could, she was met head-on by a huge Dark Pulse that put her in the dirt.

"Fancy stuff, Milo, but we've got some new tricks as well! Mirror Coat!"

Coral began glowing, preparing to redouble Azura's attack against her, and Milo had to act fast;

"Nothing fancy, just do it! Get out of there!"

Azura paused for a split second, making sure that Coral fired the attack before she flashed into a Pursuit that caught Amaya's ace off guard. Coral went sliding awkwardly forward, and Milo pressed his advantage;

"Close call there, but we've got this now! Psychic and Hyper Beam!"

Once again, the order of the moves made all the difference. Coral, even off balance, was more than fast enough to dodge a straight up Hyper Beam, but the Psychic attack rendered her dazed and disoriented. It was only for a second or two, but it was enough for Azura to charge and release the massive finishing move. Coral was left unconscious, and Milo took a 2-0 victory.

-o-

"Oy", Amaya poked Milo rudely from her seat next to him on the plane the next morning, "Wake up, you damn Snorlax. We're landing in Snowpoint."

"Cool it already", he slapped her hand away weakly, "I get it, we're there."

He stirred and stretched. He always slept well on planes, for some reason, especially when the group could afford first-class tickets like they had now. From across the aisle, May Maple grinned and waved;

"Hey, you're awake! Dreaming about that seventh badge?"

It had been a pleasant surprise to find out that the Hoenn Princess was actually in Sinnoh to participate as a guest in the Snowpoint Invitational. Damion was seated behind them as well, which Milo was still none too pleased about. He was in town, of course, for his own match against Candice. He was determined to keep pace with Amaya and Milo down the home stretch of the Gym Circuit.

 _If those two can do it_ , he told himself, _I sure as hell can, too._

The whole crew gathered their luggage, and the Rookies were about to go book rooms at the Pokémon Center when an official looking man came running towards them, waving his arms hysterically. They watched in bewilderment as he sprinted all the way up to them. He stopped, panting for breath with his hands on his knees before addressing them;

"The – the three of – of you…here…"

His chest still heaving, the man held out one hand, in which were three fancy envelopes labeled 'Milo', 'Amaya', and 'Damion'. It seemed the mystery man had sufficiently recovered himself, and he explained;

"Whew, okay, sorry. I'm from the Snowpoint Invitational support staff, good to meet you. The other two of you, Kara and of course Miss Maple, are already scheduled to attend our event, but there was a mistake regarding the invitations to guest Trainers and…well, here you go. I do apologize for the short notice, but you three are formally invited to represent Sinnoh's youth Trainers at the Snowpoint Invitational festivities."

"Uh, cool", said Milo, who was planning to be there anyway as Kara's plus one, "Thanks, man. What do Trainers do at this Invitational anyway? I thought it was all Contests and Showcases?"

"Well", the man drew himself up, "there will be an open battlefield at most of the social events, which you may use as you wish. However, you are correct – all the main events are Contests and Showcases. Your invitation is a social one."

"Heh, I get it", Amaya spoke up, "we're there for PR. If recognizable Trainers show up to something, you can bet Sinnoh folks will pay attention. That's just how Sinnoh works."

"Well, I'm in", Damion ripped open his envelope, "They always invite plenty of bigshots to this thing – could be a chance to make some useful connections."

"Excellent, excellent", the man began moving briskly off towards the exit before motioning them to follow, "Come along, if you please, you have reserved rooms at the Grand Lily, compliments of the Invitational. I've got a cab outside waiting for all five of you. This way, please!"

As they made the trip to their hotel in the middle of downtown Snowpoint, the man continued his profuse apologies that their invitations were so late;

"It was impossible to keep tabs on you, you understand, so sorry. Not that your travels are a problem, of course! We should've known better than to leave the distribution of such important invitations to an intern – well, ex-intern now. He's certainly made his last mistake. At any rate, we're very sorry, once again. Please forgive our logistical blunder."

Milo's jaw almost hit the pristine marble floor of the hotel when they stepped inside. He'd never really experienced a five-star hotel before, much less had his own complimentary room. It was breathtaking; from the crystal chandeliers to the spotless red carpeting, every detail was inch perfect. As promised, each of them had their own room waiting.

Milo took a few minutes to acquaint himself with these new hyper-formal surroundings, and was just about to go find his friends when his room phone rang. He pressed the button, and was surprised to see Marcus' face pop up.

"Oh, hey bro. Umm, how'd you know I'd be here?"

The older brother shrugged and answered with a grin, "Jenks told me. That man knows everything, I swear."

"Ah, yep. Fair enough. What's up, Marcus?"

The Hearthome Leader's face fell slightly, "I'm calling about the Order, Milo."

The Jubilife Trainer could feel the blood drain from his face as his heart sank like a Golem. Marcus put up a hand and continued quickly;

"Hey, I see that look, don't freak out! I'm not asking you to go on a mission."

Milo's breath returned with a rush of relief. No mission meant no using the blessings, which in turn meant he wasn't about to be bedridden and weak for days.

"Whew, alright. So what is it then?"

"I'm just giving you a heads up on what's been going on behind the scenes. You haven't seen this, but the PsyForce Tribe has been really raising hell across the region. It's not their volume of attacks that really worries us, though, it's their targets. We can't figure out a pattern, a reason for hitting what they're hitting. They aren't going after anything super visible or anyone high profile. There is a pattern, surely, but we just can't get a grip on what it might be."

Milo had been listening attentively, and now posed a question;

"You think they're building up to something big, is that it?"

"That's our working theory. That's why we're trying as hard as possible to connect the dots. Whatever it is, I'm letting you know right now that when it goes down we'll almost certainly need you."

"Need me? You mean you'll need Yveltal and Zoroark. You only need me to be the one to let them loose. Any idea when this is coming to a head?"

"I…look, Milo, the Order values you far beyond your ability to use the two blessings. I guess that's a discussion for another time, though. For now, I'll just tell you that it looks like it should be a matter of weeks until something sets off. It's hard to be sure, but make sure you're ready when the call comes in, okay?"

"…Okay."

Milo's face was still down. It was clear he wasn't convinced by Marcus' claims that the Order of Shadows valued him beyond the blessings.

"Hey", called the older brother softly, "Milo, I really am sorry to be the bearer of grim news. For what it's worth…have fun at the Snowpoint Invitational. It's a big to-do. I may even see you there at the big party, if I can make it up there. Rest up and don't think too much about all this Order stuff for now, alright? It'll happen when it happens."

"Yeah, I know. I guess I'll maybe see you in a few days."

"Hopefully. I have to go for now, though. See you, little bro."

The call cut off, and Milo was left with a slight frown that betrayed his emotions.

 _Well, crap_ , he thought to himself, _I just can't stay out of trouble to save my life._

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Hey there! Sorry this one took a while, a few things contributed to that. I got distracted (by which I mean I watched all of Fairy Tail – one heck of a great show) and then suffered a bit of a writer's block. I literally stopped after the first scene with Maxie and just stared at this for weeks without writing a single thing. Then it just suddenly clicked and I wrote the entire rest of the chapter in two days. Writing can be so weird, I swear…**

 **But I love it anyway! As usual, lots of twists and turns here, so let me know your candid thoughts! Damion has certainly come along since we first met him, what do you think? What did you make of Maxie and her dilemma? Please feel free to tell me anything you want, be it good or (constructively) bad!**

 **Review thoughts:**

 **Joshy – Ah, my friend. THANK YOU for shredding the PsyForce Tribe and the Spirit League. It was something I needed to hear. Once again, your helpful criticism has inspired a great deal of thought on my part, and you can rest assured that before this is all over more light will be shed on these shadowy villains.**

 **People have been telling me they like this long chapter format, so unless 'public opinion' changes, we're going to stick with that for now. As usual, if you want to keep up to date with Milo's adventures and misadventures, leave a follow or a favorite. That will also help more people find this story!**

 **I think that's everything from me, so until next time THANK YOU very sincerely for reading my story, I humbly hope you enjoy it, and have a good day! Heck, you know what? Have a good week! (Oh yeah, I went there.) Cheers, everybody!**

 **-Nano**


	22. Chapter 22 - Winter Wonderland

Milo Chapter 22 – Winter Wonderland

"Dang", Milo flopped back on a couch in his posh hotel room in Snowpoint's Grand Lily hotel, "Who knew 'relaxing' would be so exhausting?"

 _Quit complaining_ , scolded Azura as she snuggled primly into a cushioned seat specially made for Pokémon, _I had fun and so did you. More importantly, so did Kara. It's your responsibility to help her stay mentally fresh for this big Showcase._

"Ugh", was the Trainer's oh-so-moving response, "I should've brought one of the boys along, they'd at least understand my suffering."

 _Oh please_ , Milo's Umbreon just scoffed, _As if you'd expect to just walk down the street with Jet, much less Blaze or – I shudder to think – Drake. Honestly, Milo._

"Ugh", he repeated.

His day, in all fairness, had indeed thoroughly exhausted him. As Azura had reminded him, he was doing everything he could to keep Kara from completely freaking out over the Snowpoint Invitational that began in just five days. He loved spending time with his girlfriend, but their day out together had begun at 7am, and he'd only just gotten back to the hotel after three classy meals, two parks, three strip malls and an amusement park. Oh, and the ice cream parlor, of course.

 _Knock, knock_.

"Whuh?" He looked hesitantly at the door, before realizing it was probably Kara. Putting on the nicest smile he could, one that said 'No, I'm not tired in the slightest', he pulled himself up and opened the door.

"Hey Ka – wait, who are you?"

Milo stared, nonplussed, at the young woman standing before him who was most definitely _not_ Kara. She wore a white button-down shirt with a blue bow in the front that matched the one in her long black hair. Her tan skirt made her look like some kind of schoolgirl, especially considering her striped knee-high socks and brown loafers. Mentally, he answered his own question just as she provided the answer herself;

"It's quite charming to finally meet you, Milo. I'm Candice, and I lead the Gym here in Snowpoint."

"Uh, right", he just blinked, "I thought I recognized you. I-it's nice to meet you too…can I ask what you're doing here?"

Candice giggled and gave Milo a rather dubious grin;

"Are you really so surprised that I'd be so eager to meet you? As Snowpoint's Leader I would be remiss not to show the _best_ hospitality to prominent battlers like yourself…"

 _Uh_ , Milo's thoughts were as mixed up as his words, _What's with that sassy pose? Was that a wink? What's going on?_

 _Hey_ , Azura called urgently, _Don't be rude, Milo. It's weird, I agree, but she's expecting to be invited in. Play along as best you can; she's the Gym Leader._

Clearing his throat, Milo did his best to act natural;

"W-won't you come in?"

He gestured with one hand and stepped aside to let her pass, but she grabbed his outstretched hand as if he were leading her inside. All the while, her eyes never left him. As soon as he reasonably could, Milo extricated his hand from Candice's and motioned to one of the couches in the living room of his suite;

"Umm, have a seat if you'd like. Can I…get you some water?"

"Oh, how very sweet of you", Candice smiled and lowered herself onto the couch, "Some water would be lovely. Thank you, Milo."

Milo got the young Leader a glass of water and quite pointedly sat on the couch opposite her, with a coffee table between them as Azura hopped up next to her Trainer.

"You know", Candice began, her eyes still staring deeply at the Rookie from Jubilife, "I really can't remember anyone quite so _fascinating_ coming to challenge me. I've been following you since you put the beat down on Maylene and her Lucario."

"…Thanks?"

"Come on, you can loosen up a bit, you know", said Candice cajolingly with another wink, "I know it's not exactly standard procedure, but I really am just looking to get to know you on a more…personal level than just Leader and challenger. It's so hard to find people who are more than just drooling fans sometimes, but I'm sure you of all people can relate."

As she said this, Candice kicked her shoes off, picked her feet up, and stretched herself out on the couch, turning on her side to face Milo, who was blushing with discomfort and embarrassment at her odd behavior.

 _What the hell is she doing?_

"Yeah", he swallowed and forced some words out, "It can be a real struggle t-to feel normal, I guess."

"Oh, you understand me so well! I mean, I'm not surprised", the Ice-type specialist was positively beaming, "There must be so many girls who just _throw_ themselves at a hunk like you."

"Wh-what?"

Milo was pleading silently for her to change the topic, but she kept on going;

"Please, Milo, there's no need to be modest. All that training has done absolute wonders for your physique, there's no shame in admitting it."

"Ehe…I guess…" Milo could feel his face heating up. What was going on here?

He was saved temporarily when Candice bit her lip and stood up;

"Ah – I'll be right back, Milo. Just going to freshen up."

She slipped into the bathroom, and Milo immediately held his hands to his face in disbelief, looking at Azura with desperate eyes;

 _What the hell is this?_

 _I'm as shocked as you are_ , responded the Umbreon, _You need to get Kara in here as soon as possible. Either Candice is trying to throw you off before your battle or she really is just hitting on you that badly._

 _Good thought_ , he pulled up his Pokétch and sent a frantic message to his girlfriend;

'Come to my room', it read, 'ASAP. Pretend you forgot something. I'll explain later. Please.'

Not one minute after he sent the text, Candice reappeared and was attempting to sit right next to the terrified Milo when a knock came at his door;

"Aww", pouted Candice, "that's just terrible timing."

"Yeah", Milo shot up off the couch like a bullet, "but, uh, might be important, you never know, hehe..."

Thankfully, it was Kara. As he opened the door, she gave him a questioning look, before her eyes shot wide open at seeing, over his shoulder, Candice the Gym Leader. She was wearing plenty of makeup and no shoes, and was stretched out on Milo's couch. Facing away from the uninvited guest, Milo mouthed the words 'help, please' and Kara cleared her throat;

"Hey Milo, did I leave a bag in here from the Ditto Emporium earlier?"

"I don't know", he responded, loud enough for Candice to hear, "What does it look like?"

Kara winked and replied, "You know, it's hard to describe, can I come in and look for it real quick?"

"S-sure! Actually, there's someone here you should meet."

Bracing herself, the Performer followed Milo into the spacious hotel suite, as Candice hastily stood and straightened herself up;

"Kara", began Milo very carefully, "this is Candice; she's the Gym Leader here in town that 'Maya and I are looking forward to battling for our seventh badge."

"It's an honor to meet you", offered the Floaroma girl, offering a hand.

"I recognize you", said Candice rigidly, already glaring daggers at Kara, "You travel with Milo and Amaya. The Performer Rookie. A pleasure, I'm sure. Did I hear you say you were looking for something?"

Kara had always had more, shall we say, social fluency than Milo. She was already fully aware of exactly what was going on.

 _Hmph_ , she thought, _So it's a romantic ambush? Never expected in a million years to get into a turf war with a Gym Leader, but I won't let her ambush him like this. Besides, it's not jealousy if he asked me for help. Passive-aggressive, here we go…_

"Yes, actually", she used her nicest voice and most charming smile, "Milo and I were out together most of today and I might have left one of my shopping bags here after the lovely dinner we had."

Candice visibly twitched at this;

"I…I see. Out of curiosity, was Amaya with you? I know the three of you are typically inseparable."

Kara gave a tinkling laugh. Azura, who was watching from the safety of a nearby armchair, commented to her Trainer;

 _My my, Kara is quite good at this. This might be more intense than Blaze and Ferra's training bouts._

Milo was too paralyzed by fear and awkwardness to provide any meaningful response. He just stood there watching the exchange like a tennis match.

Still grinning ever so sweetly, Kara casually hooked her arm around Milo's;

"Not this time. Actually I have to say, Candice, Snowpoint is a truly magical place for a date. Your city is a marvelously romantic setting."

"A d-date?" The Gym Leader had noticed Kara's pointed hint, "Ah, then the two of you are…?"

"Oh yes", nodded Kara emphatically, as her hand snuck downwards, intertwining her fingers with Milo's, "We don't like to make a big deal of it in public, but we've been together for half a year now."

"Hmm", Candice's eyes remained locked fiercely with Kara's as she replied with no shortage of her own aggressiveness, "I'm surprised; I'd have thought Milo would tend towards someone who could match him as a Trainer."

"Well, that just goes to show you how love can defy all expectation", Kara shot back.

In that moment, Milo was convinced that there was nobody more fitting to be an Ice type Gym Leader than Candice. The glare she fired at Kara was so piercingly cold, he half expected his girlfriend to freeze over on the spot.

Somehow, Kara held her own against the Snowpoint Leader, and after a few seconds, Candice pointedly began gathering herself together;

"As it happens, I should be going. I have to prepare for a series of challengers to my badge, after all. Milo", she fixed him with one last deep stare, "I was so very charmed to have met you. If you ever want to continue our conversation, I'd be more than willing to spend some time with you."

Milo could only splutter in reply;

"It, uh, was n-nice to meet you, too."

The instant Candice closed the door and was gone, Kara sank into the nearest couch and groaned;

"Holy crap", she said with a deep sigh, "Milo, if you could _please_ stop being so attractive, that would be really great. I mean, fangirls on the street with selfie sticks is one thing, but…a Gym Leader?"

"Yeah…I really don't know what to say. That just kind of happened, and I have _no_ idea what I'm going to do about it. I still have to challenge her, too."

He flopped into the couch next to his girlfriend and flung a casual arm over her shoulders. Azura jumped up to lay comfortably across the two Rookies' laps, and Kara said with a low voice as she leaned her head onto Milo;

"I know", the Performer absentmindedly began petting Azura with one hand, "You know me, Milo, if it was literally _anyone_ else I'd be busting my gut laughing right now, but…this could be really problematic."

"No kidding."

As it happened, 'problematic' was an unfortunately accurate term; they hadn't seen the last of Candice's unexpected fixation.

-o-

The trio of Milo, Amaya, and Kara switched their focus the next day to frantic, all-consuming training, Kara more so than anyone else. Her plans for the big Showcase were well beyond ambitious, and there was little room for error. Damion was there as well, but he mostly kept to himself – after all, he was still on thin ice with Milo and Kara. Strangely, only Amaya seemed genuinely ready to forgive and forget his past offenses.

She just shrugged when he asked about this, and said, "I've changed since I left home. Seems only fair that you could, too."

Damion nodded appreciatively before walking off to get back to his own training.

 _She's playing nice, but I'm not going to push my luck_ , he told himself with a shake of the head, _I've been burned too many times with her; best just to let that go. Damn, she's still looking fine, though…_

The young Trainers spent the remainder of that day training and training and training until they couldn't possibly go on. Then they took a short break and trained some more. They weren't alone, either. It was a genius stroke of foresight from the Invitational staff to provide private training spaces, because Performers and Coordinators were pouring in from every region, and they all had the same plan; cram as much training as possible into those last few days.

There were exactly four days to go before the Snowpoint Invitational kicked off, but Milo and Amaya (and Damion) had their Gym battles the next morning – two days after Candice's shock appearance at Milo's room. They were hopeful that, with the badge out of the way, they would be free to focus on helping Kara get through her biggest event ever. Milo was also counting on there being less attention focused on their battles with Candice amidst the uproar of the Snowpoint Invitational. After the insanity that had taken over their trip to Canalave, an easy in-and-out would be wonderful.

So far everything was going smoothly. Amaya 'The Hammer' had taken a clean, easy victory using Coral's raw power and Granite's Steel moves to run riot over Candice's unfortunate Ice types. Now, it was Milo's turn to hope for something similarly uneventful.

 _Of course,_ he thought to himself as he stood waiting for his Gym challenge, _It could never be that easy, could it? Nope, not a chance…Now I have to deal with a Gym Leader who's after – well, me._

As if on cue, Candice's voice came from the doorway;

"There you are, Milo…Right on time. Good boy."

She had on her usual skirt with tall socks, but had ditched her button-down shirt for a simple white tank top that was, well…a bit lower cut than her usual wardrobe.

"Uh", Milo was already uncomfortable, "D-did you straighten your hair?"

The Leader's long black hair was tucked elegantly over one shoulder, making her look much more mature than her usual pigtails. She stepped forward;

"Why yes. Yes, I did. Do you like it?"

"It's…great. So, when's our battle? We're on in a few minutes, right?"

"Yes", smirked Candice, "and before we start, I'm here to make you a bet."

Milo could already smell trouble, and it wasn't the eye-watering whiff of perfume he caught from Candice as she stepped even closer;

"If I win – and I really think I will – you stay here with me for one week after all your little friends leave for Sunyshore."

"What? Why the heck would they go without me? That's insane! Candice, I've really tried to humor you, but…that's too much. No bet."

Milo had at last snapped, but even this outburst didn't seem to faze the Ice Leader;

"Playing hard-to-get, hmm? I like that, but you don't understand, dear Milo", she rested a hand on his chest, "No bet means no battle. If you don't think I'm serious, go ahead and try me."

Milo was flabbergasted. His mouth hung open as he tried to brainstorm a way out of this, but…

"Look, if I win, do you promise to stop all this? Please?"

"Doesn't matter", she shot back, as she turned to head for her own staging room, "because I won't lose. This isn't Roark's entry level setup in Oreburgh, Milo. I play for keeps."

With that, she was gone, and Milo was very, _very_ rattled.

 _Yeah, she really does play for keeps_ , he thought wryly, _In this case literally._

If there was one thing Milo was good at, it was quick thinking, even under duress. He flashed through a number of possible adjustments to his carefully laid plans before settling on a strategy to account for his own…distracted state of mind.

As he was announced, and the crowd duly cheered, he released Azura beside him.

 _Milo?_ His Umbreon was immediately concerned, _What are you doing?_

 _Listen_ , he responded quickly and urgently as he took his place, _I need you to stay in my box with me. Ferra's going first – I think Candice brought one of her pro-level Pokémon as an ace to make sure I lose. I need Ferra to whip through the first two, and Blaze will be my counter-ace._

 _What do you need me here for, then?_

 _If I start to freak out…your job will be to make me, uh, not freak out._

Azura studied her Trainer nervously for a few seconds as she sat beside him on the challenger's side of the Ice field;

 _If you say so_ , was her subdued response.

Now they were out of time. The referee started the match, and Candice was quick off the mark;

"Froslass, show Milo what we can do!"

"Ferra, let's go!"

Milo took a split second to scrutinize his opponent before breathing a sigh of relief. This was a Gym level Froslass, not a pro level one. For Ferra, it would be straightforward.

"Ominous Wind, Froslass!"

"Ghost for Ghost, Ferra."

 _On it, Papa_ , came the alert Lucario's answer. She was not your average Fighting type, and was well equipped to deal with Ghosts like Froslass who were resistant to her favorite moves. As Froslass tried to set up its Ominous Wind attack, Ferra leapt in with a super effective Shadow Claw that elicited a screech from the pained Snow Land Pokémon.

"Get in again, girl."

Milo knew he couldn't let Froslass have any time to settle in and use any of its most dangerous moves. Ferra understood perfectly, and jumped in with a Bullet Punch, further unsettling and damaging the Ice Ghost.

"Break his stride, Froslass! Psychic!"

It wasn't a move Milo expected Froslass to have, and his split second's hesitation got Ferra caught in her opponent's hold.

"Throw and Thunderbolt!"

 _Gah!_ Ferra was struck by the Electric attack as she hurtled helplessly through the air to crash down onto the ice below;

 _I'm fine, Papa, but that didn't tickle..._

 _Milo_ , Azura nudged his leg, _Keep your head in the battle._

The Trainer nodded tersely, and called to his 'daughter', "Focus, girl, we're fine. Dragon Pulse!"

This was one of Ferra's favorite tactics; it always reminded her of Azura with her Dark Pulse.

"Meet that with a Shadow Ball, Froslass!"

"Go! Bullet Punch, Blaze Kick!"

This was why Ferra loved when Milo called Dragon Pulse. It was almost invariably a front for some ulterior motive. In this case, Candice was just too slow on the uptake, and Froslass was soon down for the count after another pair of super effective hits.

"I just _love_ that fighting spirit, Milo", called Candice across the field as she recalled her downed Snow Land Pokémon, "It really gets me stirred up."

"Uh…thanks…"

The Leader shot him a very obvious wink before calling her second fighter;

"You're up, Piloswine!"

Milo blinked, as information zipped through his brain almost faster than he could keep up with.

 _Okay_ , he instructed his Lucario, _He's weak to all your main moves, but he's half Ground. I'd put money on him having Earthquake, which is very bad for us. Pummel him before he gets a chance to use that._

"Ferra, get in with Bullet Punch!"

Understanding the urgency of the situation, Ferra moved at lightning speed, smashing into the Piloswine before Candice could make a move to retaliate.

"Great", called Milo, "now Force Palm, Blaze Kick, Aura Sphere!"

"Piloswine", Candice was desperate to get a word in edgeways, "block with a stone Edge!"

The Swine Pokémon was much too sluggish to keep up, and was knocked askew by Force Palm, pummeled by Blaze Kick, and then flung across the arena by Aura Sphere.

Still more accustomed to higher level fights than Gym Challenges, Milo was waiting anxiously for a Stone Edge to come flying out of the dust…but Piloswine was already down. Ferra was just too powerful.

"Yes!" Milo cheered aloud, despite himself, "Ferra that was perfect!"

He froze as he saw Candice's look from across the field. She looked…darkly pleased about something. It wasn't a look he was particularly comfortable with.

"Didn't anyone ever tell you", she intoned creepily, "it's not nice to hit girls? Well, Milo, I think you'll find that _this_ girl knows how to hit back. Abomasnow! You're my ace in the hole!"

The massive Frost Tree Pokémon took the field with a huge roar, glowering down at Ferra. Milo just stared with his mouth hanging open for a few seconds before fumbling for Ferra's Pokéball;

 _Damn_ , he thought, _I was right. That's her top level Abomasnow. It's no Absol, but that thing is still a downright menace. What the hell, Candice?_

A gasp shot through the crowd as the famed Ice type took the field, but Candice only winked at him again with a smirk;

"I told you, Milo. I'm _very_ sure that I'll win. So here we are. Three of your Pokémon versus me and Abomasnow. Think you've got a miracle up your sleeve like you did for your brother's Absol? I warn you, I've studied all your favorite tricks. I know you, Milo."

 _Milo_ , Azura nudged him again, _Make the play, before it's too late to recall Ferra._

 _Yeah, yeah. Right. Thanks._

Closing his eyes and taking a breath, Milo tried to calm himself down as he recalled Ferra and made his own play;

"Alright, I'm counting you, Blaze!"

Blaze appeared with a battle cry, to the crowd's delight.

 _Hmm, this guy's the real deal_ , noticed the Flame Pokémon, _What's with that? She still trying to impress you?_

 _Looks that way_ , grimaced Milo, _Let's take it down before this gets any more complicated than it already is._

"Well, Candice", Milo had a flash of inspiration and memory, and began playing some mind games of his own, "If that's your famous Abomasnow, then it appears I know your tricks as well. I've watched you battle with that Pokémon on television for years, and I know how to beat it."

Candice's smirk faltered at that, and Milo's familiar sense of confidence began to creep back in;

"Let's go all out, Blaze! Get in fast, take him down hard, and kick his butt!"

"Give him an Earthquake to chew on, Abomasnow!"

Earthquake was just the thing to fight a Pokémon like Blaze, but Abomasnow was at a massive speed disadvantage. Like a well-oiled machine, Blaze knew exactly what moves Milo wanted;

A Mach Punch put the Fire type in close range, dealing enough damage to cancel the sluggish Earthquake before it got started. The fearless Infernape then brought down his large opponent with a perfect Low Kick, before wailing on him with Close Combat.

Candice's smooth demeanor was shattered as her eyes shot wide open.

 _No way_ , she thought to herself, _How can he have this much power? Oh, he's so strong…That's it! I must have him! Milo is MINE!_

Her cheeks flushed bright pink, but she was determined to recover the situation;

"Water Pulse, buy yourself some time!"

"Blaze, out!"

Milo knew he couldn't risk a blatantly super effective hit like Water Pulse, he had no choice but to pull Blaze out of harm's way.

His starter obeyed with a Quick Attack that just barely got him out of the way, as the water move came crashing across the arena.

"Now, try another Earthquake!"

He'd been caught flat-footed this time, but Milo knew more than one way to stop the troublesome Ground move;

"Alright, you know what to do, Blaze! Geodude tactics!"

With a grin, Milo's Flame Pokémon leapt eagerly over the heaving ground towards Abomasnow, ready for a massive Fire counterattack.

"Predictable", called Candice, "Now Focus Blast!"

As Blaze came hurtling in, he was helpless to avoid the powerful hit.

 _So that's what she meant_ , Milo grimaced, _She really does know my favorite tricks._

I didn't help that Blaze was damaged by the last few seconds of Earthquake as he was sent skidding across the field.

"Don't let him get started again", Candice yelled urgently, "Water Pulse, then Blizzard!"

 _Water Pulse is buying her time to get the Blizzard off. I need something to get back on offense…_

"Blaze, Double Team!"

It wasn't a move he had much use for anymore, since his natural speed usually served him well enough, but Blaze produced copies of himself as the real Infernape sprinted to get around the Frost Tree Pokémon's back. It worked like a charm, and Blaze was ready to go when Milo gave his next command;

"Now the big one", he yelled with a gleam in his eye, "Flare Blitz!"

Any kind of Fire move was deadly to an Abomasnow, and Flare Blitz was the absolute strongest that Milo's loyal Fire type could produce. He would take recoil, but at this point in the match it was a calculated risk.

Abomasnow tried to turn and do something, anything to meet and deflect the monstrous attack, but it was far too slow.

"NAAAAPPEE!"

With a resounding collision, Blaze smashed straight through Candice's ace, and the whole crowd held its breath to see the result. Blaze's chest was heaving from his exertion, the damage he'd taken, and the recoil from Flare Blitz, but…when the smoke cleared, Abomasnow was laid out on the ice, knocked out.

Candice watched it happen in slow motion, watched as her master plan to trap Milo in Snowpoint with her came undone at the seams.

 _His power_ , she thought breathlessly, _He's so…amazing…he's perfect…He's too good for someone like me. Still – I still feel this need…I don't understand why, but I just need him…_

A veritable explosion of noise shook the Gym arena to its foundations. Nobody could believe what they had seen, and people were losing their minds trying to comprehend it. Sure, Milo was a powerhouse, no doubt, but to take down a Pokémon as renowned as Candice's Abomasnow? Not only had he pulled it off, but he'd done it with only one Pokémon! Unthinkable! Impossible! Milo himself was delirious with joy and he rushed the field to celebrate with his Infernape;

"YEEEESSS! BLAZE! Oh man, that was so epic!" Milo's hands were on his head in disbelief as he beamed at his proud but tired starter, "That was hands down the most badass Flare Blitz I have _ever_ seen! Holy crap, buddy, you've been holding out on me, how the _hell_ did that just happen? You're going to be a legend for this, pal! People are going to talk about that for _years_!"

 _Heh…_ Blaze was still breathing heavily, but he put on a gamely smirk and bumped fists with his Trainer, _We…needed this one…right? I just…did what I had to do. Geez, I could use a nap…_

 _You've more than earned it_ , replied the exuberant Jubilife Trainer mentally as he returned his Flame Pokémon. Azura padded up behind him from the Trainer's box where she'd helped keep Milo's head on straight throughout the battle. She was just as excited, of course, but she had the awareness to give her Trainer a heads up;

 _Milo, the badge? Here comes Candice._

"Well done", came the Leader's strained voice, "I never thought for a second that Abomasnow would fall. You've more than earned this; the Icicle Badge. Umm, may I post our battle on the BattleNet?"

Milo nodded silently as he accepted the badge, trying to find something to say that wouldn't be super awkward. He was about to go with some variation of 'thanks, good battle' when Candice offered him something else. A scrap of paper.

"Take this too", she was blushing, "It's…my personal number."

Unlike her earlier attempts at aggressive romance, Candice seemed almost…shy. Demure. She couldn't meet his eye as she added softly;

"Umm, please use it? Soon? I just…Please, just give me a chance, okay?"

"Uh…."

Milo was left speechless and rooted to the spot as the Snowpoint Leader turned and walked out, her head still down. He didn't have much time to stand there stupefied, however. The crowd was still screaming his name, and he knew a throng of reporters were waiting anxiously to point a thousand microphones and cameras at him. Dating Kara had taught him a few things about putting up a good front, and the young Trainer took a breath and managed a bright, confident smile as he waved his appreciation to the spectators, who were only just now beginning to file slowly out of their seats.

Milo made his way to the media room, where Amaya and Jenks were waiting. His friend and rival grabbed his arm before they went in and said with an awed voice;

"Holy. Crap. Milo, that was _insane_. Damn, I got goosebumps watching that fight."

"Thanks", the Jubilife Trainer was still breathless and thrilled, "I still can't believe it. We should get in there, though."

Amaya nodded, and the two Rookies stepped into the media room. Milo settled into his seat, trying to settle himself. Still, he couldn't entirely keep the glow from his face. Over and over he kept trying to wrap his head around it;

 _I just...I took down Candice's ace one to one...She used Abomasnow and I swept her..._

 _Blaze was amazing_ , added Azura almost reverently from her usual position on her Trainer's lap, _He might be the best on our team right now._

 _I don't know_ , Milo smirked down at his first Pokémon, _It could easily be you as well, given how well we work together. Or Drake; he's…well, he's Drake._

 _True_ , nodded the Umbreon, _He does take being a Garchomp very seriously._

They ran out of time to discuss it, as the clamoring reporters were at last given their chance to question the young Trainers.

"Milo", came the first question, "Mark Roberson, SBBN. Can you walk us through that last bout? What went through your head when Candice sent out her main Abomasnow there?"

Milo wasn't the type to be excited about answering media questions, but this was an understandable exception. He leaned forward with a grin;

"I have to admit I had some idea it might happen. Candice told me just before our battle that she was very sure she would win. I put two and two together and had at least a few minutes to come up with a contingency plan. That said, I was still on the tip of my toes the whole time, and Blaze put in one hell of a performance to pull it off. Once again, I owe my victory to my amazing team. They've worked so hard to get to where we are and I can't praise them highly enough."

Another man was given the microphone for the next question, and he dug eagerly into Milo's brief mention of his conversation with Candice;

"Milo! Hi; Erikson James, from All Things Pokémon magazine. You say Candice spoke to you just before the battle? That seems odd; what all went on in that conversation?"

"Oh", Milo visibly flinched, despite himself, and spluttered as he looked for an unassuming response;

"Yeah, umm, you know...I think she's just a really competitive person. Maybe she wanted to throw me off my game? I, uh...well, you'd have to ask her more about that."

Thankfully, the next question was for Amaya;

"Hi Amaya; first off, congratulations on badge number seven. Would you say your victory took any real exertion on your part? It looked pretty simple to the casual observer."

The Twinleaf Trainer just shrugged rather nonchalantly;

"Eh, you know. I mean, sure, I put the work in beforehand like any Gym challenge. Honestly, though, it wasn't a fair fight in terms of power. So yeah, not really hard at all."

"How do you feel about Volkner, now that you're one badge from the Conference?"

Amaya grinned darkly, "How do think I feel? I'm overpowered and I have a massive Torterra and a Steelix on my team. No disrespect to Volkner, but I'm already planning for the Conference."

This elicited a round of murmuring amongst the reporters as they scribbled away on their notepads, no doubt planning a 'breaking news' story about Amaya's overconfidence. The microphone was handed off, and the next reporter asked a fairly obvious follow-up question;

"What exactly are you planning for the Conference? How do you foresee that going for you and your team? How far do you think you'll be able to go as a Rookie?"

Amaya was in full swing now, and she had a glint in her eye as she answered;

"Rookie or not, I'm 'The Hammer', and that's not a nickname I got for free. I won't lose until someone shows up and proves they're better than me."

Milo looked askance at his travelling companion, eyebrow raised. He'd seen her confident, but this was a whole new level. She was making some bold claims.

 _Get ready_ , warned Azura, _I'll bet they ask you next._

"Milo", Azura had been spot on, "You've already qualified for the Conference, and have experience in big battle situations; how do see yourself doing this year?"

"Well", the Jubilife Trainer was much more calculated in his response, "I think it's really tough to call that, because it'll depend on who I get drawn against. I could meet someone really tough in the first round, or get put in a weak bracket section and cruise to the semifinals. All I know is that I'll do my best in every fight."

At his answer a wave of chuckles and eye rolls seemed to ripple across the assembled press. No matter how he was provoked, Milo rarely said anything as noteworthy as Amaya. It was one of the reasons she was much more the public darling than he was. Her personality shone through her interviews as much as her battles, but he was just not willing to rock the boat unless he was in the Trainer's box.

As the interview progressed, it became clear that no matter how unprecedented his victory was, Milo could not be coerced into bragging about his own abilities beyond praising his team's hard work. Amaya made up for this by commenting quite frankly about her own abilities as well as Milo's, but once again the enigmatic Jubilife Trainer gave nothing away of himself to the media.

-o-

Unfortunately, Milo would not escape his victory over Candice unscathed. The three Rookie friends gathered later in Amaya's hotel suite in front of the television. They had been just in time to watch Damion's challenge for Candice's badge.

As Damion's team was flattened, Amaya raised an eyebrow;

"Does Candice seem like she's fighting harder?"

"Yeah", Milo's brow furrowed, "She seems like she's pissed. I guess whatever it is, she's taking it out on Damion and his team. Ouch…"

They all winced as Damion's third and final Pokémon, his Toxicroak, was laid flat by Candice's Piloswine – only her second battler. Despite himself, Milo felt a twinge of guilt and sympathy for his Veilstone rival, who had clearly received the brunt of the anger that Milo himself had caused.

"Man", Amaya shook her head, "If she'd have fought like that against us, that badge might've been actually challenging."

Damion knew it, too, and was fuming at the injustice of it all to any reporter willing to listen. The Snowpoint Leader, however, seemed unconcerned, when asked about this;

"Oh, the Veilstone boy? Unimpressive. He deserved what he got. The only standout battler today, for me, was Milo."

"Candice", called another journalist, "why only Milo? What about Amaya? Surely The Hammer impressed you at least a little?"

"She's nothing like Milo", snapped Candice protectively, sudden anger making color rise in her cheeks, "Nobody is. He's the most fascinating challenger I've ever faced. I only regret that I can't spend more time with him. Uh, t-to learn more about his team and how he battles, of course…"

The aforementioned Milo was, at this point, curled in a ball of misery and embarrassment in his friend's suite.

"Why can't she just drop it", he moaned, "Now everyone's going to figure it out and I'll never hear the end of it…"

Even Kara didn't quite know what to say, so she huddled up to her boyfriend as best she could while Amaya turned grimly back to the television. The unfortunate Rookie was spared any further humiliation as the channel turned to cover the buildup to the big Snowpoint Invitational that was creeping ever closer.

"Oh wow", Kara's voice was almost reverent, "All the big names are arriving now. Look, there's Miette, and…even Shauna's here…I can't believe this is real. I'm going to have to go in against some of the greatest Performers around…"

The worry creeping back into her voice was enough to stir Milo from his self-pity, and he had yet another healthy distraction at the ready;

"Hey, you guys. Want to see something special?"

Kara looked interested, but Amaya raised a suspicious eyebrow;

"Hmm…Special how?"

"Let's…just call it a team-building exercise. We'll have to head out of the city a bit."

"Out of the city?" They'd been warned about the dangers of the icy conditions outside the safety of Snowpoint City, but Milo refused to divulge his 'big secret'.

"Come on, just trust me, okay? Please, I want you two be there for this. You coming?"

Somewhat hesitantly, both girls agreed, and soon all three of them were bundled up and heading out the western exit from Snowpoint to the infamously perilous Route 217. Within minutes, all three were chilled to the bone, despite their many layers of clothing and Blaze and Pyro's efforts to warm them. Silence reigned supreme as the teenagers found they were too cold even to carry a conversation. All they could do was keep following Milo, who seemed determined to find something out here in the blowing snow and ice.

After a short walk, Amaya was the first to call a halt, spotting something out of the corner of her eye.

"Hey, wait up a sec. Look over there."

What she pointed to was a rather somber sight. It was a headstone and a small memorial, standing alone, almost aloof amidst the icy landscape. Milo frowned;

"That kind of creepy. Whose is it?"

Amaya answered without looking;

"It's Paul Shinji's. He died on this route."

"Wait", Milo's eyes went wide, " _The_ Paul? He died _here_?"

Amaya was still not looking at her friend. She wandered reverently over to the site to pay her respects. Since she'd heard the tragic story from Damion back in Canalave, she'd done some of her own research into the morbid tale.

"Not here exactly. He died halfway between Mt. Coronet and Snowpoint. That's why Trainers aren't allowed to get here on foot. Damion told me about him; he's apparently a legend to the VPC kids – he graduated from there before he became Ash Ketchum's rival."

"I knew that part", Milo said, "and I never really liked his style, but…it's sad for anyone to go out that way. At least he was doing what he loved."

The group took a brief minute of silence out of respect for the fallen legend of Sinnoh's Trainer scene before moving on.

It took another half hour, but just when Amaya was going to demand they turn back, for the sake of safety, Milo looked back with a huge smile on his cold face and said;

"Here it is! Get ready guys!"

He ran forward, and the two girls could only follow. He stopped in front of what appeared to be a frozen boulder sticking up out of the snow for no apparent reason.

"…This is a rock", Amaya wasn't best pleased, "You brought us out here for a damn rock? Milo, what the hell?"

"Hush, 'Maya", the Jubilife Trainer shot back, "This isn't _just_ a rock. Be quiet and watch."

With that, Milo took a breath and released all of his Pokémon at once.

 _Crap!_ Drake roared indignantly, _I freaking hate ice! Let's make this quick, come on._

As Aurora stepped forward, understanding hit Amaya and she grinned;

"Ah, I get it. She finally picked, huh?"

Kara looked confusedly at her Twinleaf friend, who explained briefly;

"That's Sinnoh's only Icy Rock. Milo's about to get himself a Glaceon."

That brought a wide-eyed smile to Kara's face, and Aurora stopped short, turning back to face her teammates. Only her team and her Trainer heard the little Eevee's choice words on this momentous occasion;

 _Umm, yeah guys…Uh, I'm going to touch this fancy rock and be Glaceon, but first I wanna tell you why. So, my Momma, she was an Espeon. Her Trainer released her for not being strong enough, and…and she told me that Trainers catch Eevees like me and make us evolve into whatever they want but…Milo let me choose. I thought and thought really hard for, like, a long time…Then I remembered when my Momma told me that if she got to choose for herself, she'd have picked Glaceon. Since I get to choose, I think it'd be cool if I was Glaceon since she couldn't be. You know?_

It was a heartwarming speech, especially from the innocent, tender Evolution Pokémon, who now had a couple telltale tears of nervousness rolling down her soft brown cheeks. Struggling not to cry herself, Azura stepped forward;

 _I think that's very brave of you, Aurora. You'll make a beautiful Glaceon. I think your Momma would be very proud of you. Now go on. Your team is right here, rooting for you._

 _Yep_ , Drake surprisingly stepped in next, fighting through his intense hatred of the frozen climate, _That's for damn – I mean that's for darn sure. You got my support on this, 100%, kid._

Blaze and Jet nodded their support, and Ferra offered one last bit of encouragement;

 _You've earned this, Roro_ , she purposely used the nickname she'd accidentally come up with as a baby, _All of us are super happy for you._

Her young eyes brimming, Aurora half-turned towards the Icy Rock before she called out to her Trainer;

 _Milo…I'm nervous. Come with me?_

Milo nodded silently, more than willing to show his support to his beloved Pokémon. He stepped forward and walked alongside the trembling Eevee one painstaking step at a time. Finally, in front of the whole group, Aurora stopped within reach of the Icy Rock and Milo could see her small chest heaving, her face focused, knowing the irreversible change she was about to invoke upon herself.

With one small, brown paw, Aurora reached out and gently touched the Icy Rock. For one breathless second, nothing happened. Then, before Milo's very eyes, Aurora began to glow with that all-too-familiar light of evolution. Her body grew and changed, and about ten seconds later, the light faded to reveal a marvelous, brilliant Glaceon looking desperately up at her Trainer, waiting anxiously for his reaction.

"Oh, Aurora…" he could hardly speak, "You – you're absolutely _beautiful_!"

He fell to his knees at the wondrous sight, and held open his arms. A massive smile burst onto the face of his newly evolved Glaceon, and she leapt eagerly into his arms;

 _Milo! Oh, Milo, I feel so…different!_ Her mental voice had changed along with her body. Instead of a barely school-aged child, Aurora now sounded more like a young teenager.

 _I – I really did it! I'm really Glaceon now!_

It was one of those moments for which there were simply no words. It was a moment that superseded the need to be expressed verbally. It was pure joy and unadulterated happiness captured together in one shining instant. It was a moment that was humorously shattered when Milo looked over his shoulder to see Drake slowly curling up into a ball, shuddering miserably.

"Ha!" The Jubilife Trainer couldn't contain himself, "Drake, buddy! Come on, man, you just look pathetic right now!"

 _Sh-sh-shut up…_ Even the Dragon's voice was miserable, _I'm d-doing my b-b-best here. Crap, I h-hate ice…_

"Huh", even Amaya had noticed, "Figures the Ground and Dragon type isn't a fan of this weather. Should we head back?"

Still holding and petting his new Glaceon, Milo nodded, "Yeah. I just wanted to share this whole thing with you guys. We can head back now."

Milo was entranced by his newly evolved Fresh Snow Pokémon, and Amaya wasn't exactly a conversationalist, so the group made their way back in relative quiet.

Relative quiet, that is, until a cry burst out from some frozen brush in front of them;

"SNEEEE!"

Amaya was leading the way, and was the first to react. In a split second, Leon appeared in front of his Trainer, ready to face anything. The alarming screech had come from a wild Sneasel that appeared to be attempting an ambush of some kind. It stopped short at seeing Leon, and glared as Amaya commanded;

"Shock Wave!"

The Sneasel's instinct was to dodge, but Shock Wave couldn't miss, and the Sharp Claw Pokémon went tumbling head over heels in the snow with a yelp.

"I'll let you handle this one", called Milo with a grin as the Luxray and Sneasel began trading blows back and forth, though he did take a protective step in front of Kara.

Amaya didn't bother acknowledging him, she was actually rather intrigued by this battle. Leon had now hit the Sneasel three times, and it was still coming back for more. Most wild Pokémon would either have gone down or run away by now. The Dark type came lunging in once more, and Amaya decided to pull out the big guns;

"Alright, Leon, give him a Thunder!"

Leon complied, and Milo, acting as the peanut gallery, supplied a largely irrelevant tidbit;

"That's not a 'him', 'Maya! With that head feather and tail, it has to be female!"

Regardless, the Sneasel crumpled under Leon's Thunder attack, and Amaya nodded in satisfaction. Nothing like a good battle to warm up the…wait…

On the ground before her, the prone form of the Sneasel began to glow, just as Aurora had done only minutes before. Stunned, it took her a few seconds to realize what was happening.

"Is it…evolving? Right here? Uh…hey, Leon! Focus up, we're not done yet! Another Thunder!"

This time, however, the newly evolved Weavile zipped away from Leon's attack like a rocket, almost disappearing before she slammed into the Luxray's side with a Night Slash.

"Toxic!"

The counterattack was perfect. The Ice type's instinct was good, but it had no exit strategy and took the full brunt of the dangerous Toxic. Now it was a waiting game. The next few minutes were tense. The wild Pokémon's speed was a sight to behold, and it was all Leon could do to keep its wanton attacks at bay. Eventually, though, the slow damage of the Toxic slowed the Sharp Claw Pokémon, and Milo was waiting for his friend to call out the finishing blow. Instead, she got a certain look in her eyes, one that tickled his memory…

"Wait, 'Maya, are you going to…?"

"Yes", she replied curtly, pulling a ball from her pack quickly, "Yes I am."

"What's she doing?" Kara asked quietly.

With a grin, Milo replied, "That's the same look she got right before she captured Granite, way back in Oreburgh. Then again before she caught Leon as a Shinx. That Weavile is going to be her sixth team member."

Sure enough, the Pokéball struck its still-snarling target, and shook quite violently once…twice…thrice…before settling with a soft ping to sit quietly in the snow.

"YES!" Amaya was thrilled, "That's a full team for me! Come on out, Weavile!"

She poked the button and the caught Dark type emerged, confused, hurt and suspicious. Kara tried to dash forward to congratulate her friend, but Milo held her back;

"Wait. This is a crucial and delicate moment. Especially with a Weavile; they can be pretty dangerous."

Amaya, breathing rapidly, held up her hands and approached slowly, cautiously. The Weavile was still in pain, grimacing as the effects of Leon's Toxic continued to sap away its health. The Twinleaf Trainer fished an Antidote from her small pack, and held it up for the disoriented Pokémon to observe, saying;

"This is for you…Glacius. That's your new name. This is medicine. You'll feel better, promise. You just have to let me put this on you. Okay?"

The Weavile blinked in understanding, and Amaya stopped just a few short feet away. There was a tense few seconds while they all waited for Glacius' response…and then they all exhaled together as Amaya's new Sharp Claw Pokémon lowered itself towards her to allow the Antidote to be applied. She kept talking as she did so, letting the Weavile get used to hearing her voice;

"You just got a major power boost, Glacius. I can help you use it. I can make sure you grow faster, stronger, and smarter. Very soon you'll meet the rest of the team, and we'll get your official training started. I can't wait to see what we'll do together, girl."

-o-

True to her word, Amaya disappeared to the nearest training space she could find and only reemerged for dinner. This left Milo and Kara to themselves, a prospect Milo usually relished. Now, however, Kara didn't seem in the mood to do much of anything. In the end, she watched with passing interest as Milo found his own training space and began experimenting with strategies to take advantage of Aurora's new Ice typing.

He quickly arrived at the conclusion that Aurora would now be an excellent escape artist. She could use Hail, which played perfectly to her natural abilities; Snow Veil and Ice Body. She was downright impossible to find in the icy conditions, and even harder to hit. All the while, she could slowly regenerate her energy, driving opponents (specifically, Drake and Jet) crazy trying to bring her down. It was frighteningly effective, and Milo couldn't wait to use it in battle.

 **Kara**

She was trying to be supportive as she sat and watched her boyfriend training. She really was. Somehow, though, her heart just wasn't in it. It was now the day before the Grande Snowball, which meant that it was two days until the Snowpoint Invitational itself. Two days until she performed alongside her ever-illustrious cousin, Serena, and other stars like Shauna, Miette, May Maple, and even Dawn. It put every other event she'd been in to shame.

A red flash at her side brought her out of her worried thoughts. It was Florence, seated primly beside her, who had a perfect grasp of her Trainer's emotions as always;

 _Milady, I implore you to put your mind at ease. Our plans for this Showcase have been laid to perfection and practiced to the point of absolute precision. Your team is most certainly ready to shine._

"I – I know, Flo. Thanks. I just can't help it, you know? Milo's done such a good job keeping me from freaking out the past few days, but…now it's so close that I can't think about anything else."

 _I understand_ , nodded the Embrace Pokémon, _Your worry shows all the more how deeply you care for the success of our team._

Kara smiled weakly and rubbed her Pokémon's shoulder appreciatively;

"Thanks, Flo. I can always count on you."

 _But of course, milady._

They sat together watching Milo go hammer and tongs right alongside his team. Kara took no small pleasure in noticing her Gardevoir's distraction once Drake emerged with a mighty roar onto the training field. Try as she might, the half-Fairy could never seem to conceal her fascination with Milo's Dragon.

"It's okay, Flo", smirked the Floaroma Performer, "there's nothing to be ashamed of. There's always something alluring about a bad boy."

 _A-alluring?_ Florence huffed, and stared determinedly anywhere but the Mach Pokémon, _I'm sure I don't know what you mean by such a misplaced comment._

Kara laughed at that, and her little joke was enough to keep her worries at bay just a bit longer.

-o-

One small moment at a time, Kara made it all the way to the evening of the next day, when it was time for the Grande Snowball. Kara had forced Amaya to get ready with her, a process that took a few hours while Kara picked which of her ten dresses to wear and 'Maya put on the only one she owned. Milo, by comparison, whittled the time away until there was just a half hour left. Then, and only then, did he jump in the shower, throw on the fancy clothes he'd bought in Canalave, and present himself at Kara's door to pick up the two girls and head over.

There was a second or two of silence when they opened the door, before Milo broke into a huge grin and said;

"Kara, you look amazing and beautiful and perfect, but I will never _ever_ forget today; the day I saw 'Maya in a dress and makeup. With her hair done, no less."

"Hey, shut up!" Amaya was instantly defensive, "What, am I not allowed to be a girl? Whatever, don't expect to see it again anytime soon. Hurry up, let's go."

Milo was still cackling as they headed to the elevator and down to the taxi waiting to take them to the ball;

"That was mean", Kara punched him in the shoulder before whispering, "But I don't blame you. I've been waiting for days to see 'Maya looking fancy."

When they arrived at the ball venue, many of the lesser known semi-professional and professional Performers, Coordinators, and Trainers had already arrived. Traditionally the most distinguished guests arrived fashionably late, but the three Rookies weren't quite at that level yet.

"We're fashionably on time", joked Milo as he poked at his shirt collar, adjusting his tie a bit.

"Works for me", Kara had her arm in his, and slapped his other hand away from the tie, "Quit playing with that, I promise it looks fine."

"Hey, we're up", Amaya pulled her two friends up to the entry, where a doorman checked their super-fancy tickets and said;

"If you've brought any Pokémon with you, please declare them now. One Pokémon per person, please."

Azura, Verdante, and Leon appeared, and the man stepped aside to let them in, though he cast an extra glance at Amaya's large and intense Luxray.

"See", Kara told her, "I told you it'd be weird to bring him. He's too big."

"He's fine", Amaya shot back, "Besides, you wouldn't let me bring Coral."

Milo rolled his eyes. It had taken them a full hour to convince Amaya that Coral, Granite, and Terrus were all completely unacceptable to bring with her to a fancy ball. A Luxray was still a borderline choice, but it had been a compromise that ensured there would be no Steelix towering over this year's Grande Snowball.

"Anyway", huffed the Twinleaf Trainer, "I'm going to find snacks and hang out by the battlefield. Maybe something interesting will happen."

With that, she was off, and Milo watched her go with a rueful grin, "I suppose that was to be expected."

Milo and Kara began the process of rubbing elbows with the many prominent names who were in attendance. This was made somewhat easier by the entrance of Marcus and Gardenia, who quickly found them and began introducing the two Rookies to other Gym Leaders and well-known figures.

"This", said Marcus, gesturing to a woman in a magnificent purple dress, "is my predecessor. Milo, Kara, meet Fantina."

"Ah", the woman shook both their hands vigorously, "C'est un honneur! It is my pleasure to meet the brother of dear Marcus, non? Welcome, young people, welcome."

"Th-the honor is mine", Milo was rather awestruck, "I heard stories from Marcus all the time about seeing your awesome Ghosts in action. I loved watching your battles on television; you had such an elegant way of battling."

"Ah, yes", the ex-Leader's eyes misted over with memory, "Well I remember the exquisite beauty of the battle…But, non! I am thinking that now your brother is much stronger than I ever was, eh?"

The crowd in the hall grew and grew as they talked, and eventually a DJ began playing music, much to the delight of Verdante and Azura, who jumped and danced around near their Trainers to the beat of whatever was playing.

Eventually, the two Rookies left Marcus and Gardenia talking to old Wattson, an Electric-type Leader visiting from Hoenn. As they meandered over to find snacks or drinks, a hand tapped Kara lightly on the shoulder;

"What's up, cousin?"

"Oh!" Kara burst into a smile, "Serena, you're here!"

The two blondes hugged and started chatting away about what Milo could only assume was Performer stuff. He caught bits and pieces of it;

"…and I'm never quite sure how Fire will interact with…"

"…but I love the way Fairy moves make everything…"

"…really pulls the tone of my performances together…"

He stood there and smiled, trying not to appear bored by his girlfriend and the Kalos Queen. He couldn't hide it from Azura, though,

 _Milo_ , chided the Umbreon, _Say something. You look like a slapped Feebas just standing there grinning at nothing._

He spluttered and looked down at his first Pokémon, and a voice behind him said;

"Hey, I get it. Makes my head spin, too. Nothing like a good old-fashioned battle if you ask me."

"You got that right", said Milo offhandedly in reply.

"Pikachu, Pikapi", came a Pokémon's voice of agreement.

At that, Milo's eyes shot wide open and he whirled around…to find himself looking up into the face of the Pokémon Master himself. Ash Ketchum grinned down at Milo as his wife and her cousin continued to catch up on life and whatever else it was they were discussing.

"A-Ash? Ash Ketchum?"

Milo couldn't believe his eyes. Even Azura was gazing in awe at the Electric Mouse standing in front of her, wearing a bowtie and a cheerful smile.

Ash's arrival finally got the attention of the two Performer cousins, and Serena stepped around the dumbstruck Milo to greet her husband with a quick peck on the lips. Kara, who had of course met Ash before at family gatherings, gave a cordial hello before elbowing Milo in the ribcage to break the spell the Pokémon Master's presence had evidently cast on her boyfriend.

"So", Ash was rather used to these kinds of reactions from fans, and he took it in stride, offering a handshake, "You're Milo, right? Mom told me to keep an eye out for you; I've heard you're tearing it up here in Sinnoh!"

"I - well, umm - I guess…"

Milo gingerly accepted the handshake, eyes still wide. He swallowed hard, blinked forcefully, and tried to regain control of himself;

"Y-yeah, I've been working through the Gym Circuit, uh, just like you did."

"Nice!" Ash caught his wife's not-so-subtle head jerk, telling him to try harder to make the Rookie Trainer feel more comfortable, "I see you've got an Umbreon – and she's got blue stripes! You don't see that every day; how'd that happen?"

The Umbreon in question flattened her ears back against her head in embarrassment, but Milo perked up, as he always did when talking about his beloved Pokémon team;

"That's Azura. She's a shiny. Sorry, I just – it's a real honor to meet you, Mr. Ketchum. And Pikachu, of course."

"Please, just Ash is fine", waved the Pokémon Master nonchalantly, "Mr. Ketchum sounds weird. What's the rest of your team like?"

Just as Milo had been lost when Kara and Serena got into their 'Performer talk', they in turn were quickly befuddled as the two Trainers settled into discussing types, matchups, battle dynamics, training paradigms, and more.

"You know", Serena smiled to her younger relative, "I don't get to see that look very often anymore."

"What look?"

"Ash. He only ever gets that look in his eyes when he meets someone who loves Pokémon and being a Trainer just as much as him." An old memory brought an unbidden grin to the Kalos Queen's features, "I used to see it all the time when we first travelled through Kalos, when Ash and Clemont got to talking, but these days not so much."

"That's kind of sad", frowned Kara, "Does he not enjoy it as much now that he's at the top?"

Serena just laughed, "No, no, actually it's the opposite. These days nobody can quite match Ash's enthusiasm for what he does. Nobody but Milo, apparently."

 **Amaya**

From afar, Amaya watched her friends mingling with only passing interest. One might have thought she would hurry over, jumping at the chance to meet the Pokémon Master, but...she just wasn't all that intrigued by the man.

He was a great battler, sure, but celebrity idols had never been what kept her involved in training. Her career as a Trainer was about her, not some childhood idol of Milo's, no matter how famous he was.

"Who knows", she remarked to Leon casually, "Maybe that'll be us someday, huh?"

Seated beside her, he gave a deep, growling purr as a sign of agreement. When he'd joined the team, Amaya had promised power – power enough to protect everything that mattered to him, which now included his Trainer. She had kept her end of that deal, and his loyalty to her was absolute.

Amaya sighed deeply and looked around again. She had hoped for something interesting to pass the time, but so far that was a wash.

 _I was wondering whether Damion would show_ , she thought as she bit her lip. She didn't want to admit it, but she'd actually been getting along well with him recently. He was still an arrogant ass, of course, but...there was something alluring about his brash confidence. He felt _real_ , in a way not many people did.

 _Ah, cut that out_ , she caught herself, _The Hammer doesn't fall for anybody, much less him. I don't Like Damion, I just – I learned to tolerate him._

She was actually considering leaving, wondering how long it would take Milo and Kara to notice she was gone, when a crash and a commotion arose from somewhere near the entrance.

Her brow furrowed when she saw Leon bristle slightly. Very few things put him off like that. As the commotion died down, she was still craning her neck for a look at what had caused it. As it happened, the source of the noise found her.

"See, now _this_ is how I roll, ladies. I'm telling you, big-time Trainers like me don't go half-ass on a party, eh? Hey, let's grab some drinks, come on!"

A whirlwind of emotions set off as, out of the crowd, Damion Parr himself emerged. He was a bit unsteady, as though he'd been drinking, and he had a bombshell blonde tucked under each arm, fawning over his every word.

Amaya was taken aback as something inside her was suddenly furious. She had _just finished_ telling herself that she didn't care at all about this guy, but seeing him wrapped around two other girls made her inexplicably want to throw up.

Without really thinking about what she was doing, she stalked up to him and asked in a dangerously calm voice;

"What the hell are you doing?"

Damion visibly blanched at seeing her, but then he blinked and actually _saw_ her and his jaw hit the floor.

Amaya's silky, long, black hair had been tucked into one long braid that cascaded perfectly over her shoulder, right down to the top of the strapless black dress, simple and elegant, that highlighted her small, slim frame exquisitely.

"Hey!" Her angry voice snapped him out of his distracted daze, but only until he caught sight of those trademark fiery eyes of hers that shone with raw passion. He almost didn't care that it was he who had invoked her ire; he just relishedthe chance to see that intensity he couldn't get enough of.

 _Damn it all, I still love this chick._

"Seriously, jerk, what the hell is with you?"

"I - I...What?"

He had indeed been drinking before the ball. He wasn't totally plastered yet, but buzzed enough that his brain was struggling to connect the dots. Hurriedly, he turned to the two girls he'd brought with him;

"Hey, uh, give us a minute. I have to talk to her."

As soon as they had left, Amaya jabbed a furious finger in his face, "You show up _here_ half-drunk with two random bimbos hanging off you? Damn you, Damion!"

"Whoa, they're not random bimbos! They're Trainers like you and me, I found them at the Pokémon Center. That's Trish and...umm...Trish's friend."

"Sure", Amaya wasn't having it, "And you invited them along because you're just such a _nice guy_ , right? Screw you!"

"No hold on", he finally found his nerve, "Why the hell should you care? You've made your feelings about me _very_ clear, over and over. The way I see it, you've got _no_ right to get pissed at me for being with other chicks."

Amaya glowered at him, raw fury bringing out the fire in her brilliantly intense eyes. Other guests were beginning to give the two Rookies worried looks, so Amaya grabbed the unfortunate Veilstone boy and dragged him to a window balcony where they could continue in relative privacy.

"Seriously", he complained, "You _hate_ me; don't pretend you don't. So just let me go and we can go back to ignoring each other. Better that than whatever the hell this is. What's gotten into you, anyway?"

"Are you freaking blind?" Amaya was still glaring up at him, not quite sure herself where this was coming from, "Who kept you out of Team Rocket? Who stuck up for you in Canalave? Who's been keeping Milo from tearing you to shreds for weeks? Yeah, that's right, _me_. Damn it, Damion."

He was quick to counter, "What, so because you're being a bit less of a witch than usual, I'm supposed to keep pining after you like a whipped Poochyena? Screw that. I know you; you rejected me for over half a damn year. You're not going to change your mind, no matter how I feel. I give up with you."

Amaya's loyal Luxray stepped forward and began snarling at the Veilstone Trainer, but Amaya stuck out a hand;

"No, Leon, don't rip his limbs off until I'm done with him. Tell me, Damion", Amaya's voice was once again dangerously low, "How exactly _do_ you feel? Seems to me like you've moved on. Congrats to Trish and her friend."

"What, you want to hear me beg?" Damion was past the point of caring. This had been building up for a long time, and his inhibitions were low enough that it was all coming out one way or another;

"Fine! I still can't get over you. I haven't been over you since I met you. You're the most amazing girl I've ever met, and the only one who can kick my ass at battling. You have no idea how much I've wanted you, for _so long_ , but you hate my guts. You'd rather be Milo's damn sidekick than have anything to do with me. I'm like the scum under your feet. So yeah, I give up. Happy now?"

Damion's chest was heaving by the time he finally stopped, and his face was hot. Only now did he notice Amaya's reaction. The Twinleaf girl had taken a few steps back, and her furious expression had turned to one of pure, wide-eyed shock.

She opened her mouth, only to shut it again.

"I...I don't...I'm leaving."

 **Milo**

He'd spent a glorious fifteen minutes or so talking to the Pokémon Master. Then some music had come on, and Serena had stolen her husband away for a dance. Around that time, he'd noticed Candice looking anxiously around, and had made sure to duck well away from her line of sight. He did _not_ need any more of that right now. He was now holding a glass of water, standing near a corner, leaning against a table. Azura was seated presentably next to him, and both Trainer and Pokémon were amusing themselves by people-watching.

 _Pretty sure she's a Gym Leader, too_ , noted Milo, nodding towards an ethereal young woman walking around by herself.

 _Really?_ Azura was mildly surprised, _She seems rather young. Well, I suppose Maylene is young, as well, so it's not so unbelievable._

 _Yep_ , Milo had finally put his finger on who she was, _I remember now; she leads a Steel-type Gym in Johto. Uh...Janice? Jessie? Oh, Jasmine! That's it._

A clatter from off to their right caught Milo's attention, and he looked over curiously. It was Amaya. She emerged from a window balcony, Leon close behind her, making her way as fast as she could across the ball space and towards the exit.

On instinct, Milo motioned to Azura and made to follow. He took just a couple seconds to tap Kara's shoulder. She had been chatting with Shauna excitedly about the upcoming Invitational, but when Milo pointed out the fleeing Amaya, she quickly excused herself and followed. Friends took priority.

As they exited the ball, Milo broke into a run, chasing after their Twinleaf companion.

"Hey! Hey, 'Maya, wait up! Amaya!"

He was shocked to see Leon, at a wave from his Trainer, turn and block his path.

"What…? Leon, come on, pal! I'm trying to help! What's - seriously!"

He tried to duck around the Luxray, but Leon kept stepping in front, not allowing him access to Amaya. The Gleam Eyes Pokémon turned then to Kara and barked, jerking his head in Amaya's direction. The Performer understood perfectly;

"She...doesn't want to talk to Milo? But I'm okay?"

Leon nodded with an impatient huff as he continued to block the frustrated Milo. Kara bit her lip worriedly, torn between sticking up for Milo and chasing Amaya.

"Go", came Milo's defeated voice. He was still glaring daggers at Leon, who was returning his stare with impunity, "See what the hell's gotten into her. I guess I'm not allowed to _help my friend_."

With one last apologetic nod, Kara took off. It didn't take long to track down the Twinleaf star; she'd gone straight back to her room and thrown herself dejectedly on the sofa. At Kara's knock, she opened the door and asked immediately;

"No Milo, right?"

"Umm, no", Kara affirmed, "Leon kind of blocked him. H-he wasn't happy about it."

"Whatever", Amaya retreated again to her couch, "He can get over it. I don't have to make him happy all the time, I'm not his sidekick."

The Performer's brow furrowed at the snide remark, and she approached cautiously;

"His sidekick? Amaya, what are you talking about? You know that's ridiculous."

"I…yeah. Sorry."

As Kara joined her friend gingerly on the couch, Amaya was hunched over, head in hands, seemingly at war with herself;

"Just some stupid crap Damion threw at me. I don't know why I care."

"That makes two of us", was Kara's blunt response, "I saw him come in drunk, but he's never been able to get you shaken up like this, 'Maya. What did he say?"

"Well, he – he sort of spilled his guts at me. All about how he's been crazy about me for months, how he respects my battling, and how I've basically treated him like dirt the whole damn time."

Kara frowned, "Isn't that what he always says?"

"No", Amaya picked her head up and Kara could see the distress written in her eyes, "This time was different. He wasn't just being a poser, he was – I guess just telling me the truth without dressing it up."

"Well…that's a new tactic", agreed Kara quietly, the pieces beginning to fall into place, "It still doesn't answer the question of why you care, though."

She looked expectantly at her black-haired friend, who was lost in thought for a few seconds.

"He's…changed. Over the last months, I mean. He was just an ass before, but…but now he's – you know what I mean, right?"

"He's more of an honest-to-goodness bad boy than just a prick", supplied Kara helpfully.

"Yes! That's it. I think I…"

She stopped, unable to force herself to say the words. Once again, Kara put them in her mouth, this time with a knowing grin, and a tired shake of the head;

"You prefer bad boys to pricks, huh? I get it now. He gave up, but now you like him. Amaya, I swear, you are impossible."

Blushing furiously, Amaya shot back;

"Shut up."

"Hey, take it easy", Kara wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders, relieved that the 'big problem' was just a blossoming crush in the end, "The first crush always feels the weirdest. I will say, though, setting Leon to block Milo out in the middle of the street was a bit much."

"Hmm? Oh. Yeah. Kind of forgot about that. I guess that was a bit of a heat-of-the-moment thing. Whatever, he can still get over it."

"Yeah", Kara nodded, "He's a big boy. Hey", she got a mischievous glint in her eyes, "What do say we just leave him? See how long Leon sticks to his job and strands him on the sidewalk."

"Ha! That's downright _devious_ , Kara. I like it."

With a shared laugh, the two girls at last took a deep breath and relaxed. Trainer and Performer sat quietly together for a few silent moments, until Amaya spoke once more;

"Sorry."

With a raised eyebrow, Kara inquired, "Sure thing. What for?"

"I know you have all the Invitational stuff coming up, and here I am catching the world's dumbest feels. I swear I'm not trying to be needy."

"Ah, no worries", Kara chuckled, "What are friends for? I'm here whenever you need a little girl to girl. Besides, I could use any distraction I can find right now. Truth be told, I'm still on the edge of freaking out."

It was Amaya's turn to offer her travelling companion a consoling shoulder bump,

"You'll kill it for sure. I don't know a lot about Showcases, but I know you've got more balls than the rest of those girly girls put together."

"That", laughed Kara, "is the most 'Amaya' compliment you've ever given. Thank you."

Unbeknownst to the two girls, both Milo and Leon were still having a stare down on the cold sidewalk of Snowpoint City. Still, it hardly seemed to matter. With so much pressure on the horizon, Kara and Amaya drew strength from one another, knowing that each of them could deal with anything that was thrown at them.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **Here it is! Man, this one was another chapter that felt like it pushed me out on a limb. If it seems dense, it's because the original plan was to put the whole Invitational in here, too, and do Snowpoint all in one chapter. Then I got to this point and realized it was going to be another 10k words or so at least, and I just felt like I didn't want one chapter to have that many important events, lest they detract from one another. It may feel like there are a lot of unanswered questions right now, and that's sort of on purpose. They will be answered, never fear.**

 **As always, PLEASE let me know what you thought about any and all of this! Was it gripping? Did the pacing feel off? Too much drama? Not enough drama? Let me hear it, if you're willing to share!**

 **Quick (mildly selfish) note: If anyone out there has artistic talent (not me), I've been craving some good concept art for our main characters. I've got a good mental image of what they look like, but I'm far from capable of actually drawing them out. If you're willing to help me out, let me know!**

 **Also, a shoutout to Joshy, whose reviews continue to provide a great insight to a reader's view of what I'm writing. Thank you, thank you, a thousand times thank you.**

 **Finally, thank YOU! That's right, you there, reading this! I appreciate your taking the time to read my work, and I humbly hope you continue to enjoy it. Feel free to follow/favorite if you'd like to stay up to date with the story and help others find it as well.**

 **Peace to you, my friends. Enjoy yourselves, because you deserve to be happy.**

 **-Nano**


	23. Chapter 23 - True Colors

Milo Chapter 23 – True Colors

There was a one day break between the Grande Snowball and the opening ceremonies of the Snowpoint Invitational, but it flew by so quickly that the three Rookies barely noticed. The first day and a half of the Invitational was devoted to the Contest portion of the event, which was currently wrapping up.

"She's up after this, right?" Amaya was getting impatient.

"Yep", answered Milo, who was just returning to his seat, "Hey, move over."

Amaya, of course, did no such thing, and Milo made a point of kicking her legs as he stepped over her to get to his seat with a fresh bowl of popcorn. They had decent seats to watch the final of the Invitational Contest between Drew of Hoenn and the local favorite, Dawn Hikari herself.

"Still not sure how Dawn won that semifinal", Amaya scoffed, "Let me get some popcorn, Milo."

"Hey, hands off!"

He moved his precious snack further away from her and shoved her prying hand away, "I only share popcorn with friends who don't leave me in the cold with a pissed off Luxray."

"Get over it", Amaya huffed, "Don't be such a baby, share some damn popcorn."

"Buy your own, nosy", Milo shot back, and stuck out his tongue, "You're right about that semifinal, though. I think if we weren't on Dawn's home turf, May would've won that for sure. That was the real final, honestly. This is just a victory lap for Dawn, she'll stomp Drew easily."

Indeed, Dawn and May had played out a Contest round for the ages. The battle round had been almost totally even, and it had come down to the judging on the appeal round. Most of the audience felt that May's appeals had probably been ever so slightly better, but the judges had favored the Top Coordinator from Sinnoh and declared Dawn the winner.

Kara was currently down in the prep room, since the first round of the Showcase was up immediately after the Contest final. She'd been a huge help to her two Trainer friends in understanding what was going on, but now, as the final started, they were left with very little idea of what was actually happening below.

Dawn's Empoleon and Drew's Roserade were each trying to woo favor with the judges with some very intricate appeals, but Empoleon seemed to have the clear edge overall, as expected. Milo and Amaya dutifully clapped along once the judging had finished, and settled in to watch the battle round.

The battle, as it turned out, was just as one-sided. Still, it was much more understandable for the two Rookie Trainers. As soon as it kicked off, Drew's Roserade and Flygon were caught up in a brilliant pincer move by Dawn's prize Empoleon and her Lopunny. With her agility and grace, Lopunny got in behind Drew's fighters and was able to force them closer to the ever-dangerous Empoleon, who unleashed torrents of water and brutal Steel moves to swat down its opponents without seeming to break a sweat.

The combination and expert use of her Pokémon's strengths was enough to win the final for Dawn in just a few short minutes. The crowd was ecstatic at seeing the Sinnoh Coordinator once again take the top spot at the Invitational, and the pomp and circumstance lasted a good half hour while she was duly awarded a sizeable trophy and an ornate ribbon.

"Man", moaned Milo, "I'm trying to be respectful and all, but I wish they'd hurry up. I'm getting Beautiflys in my stomach waiting for the Showcase part to get going."

"Chill", Amaya shrugged, "she'll be fine."

"Yeah, I know, I just can't wait. The nerves are killing me."

At long last, the Contest announcer handed things off to his Showcase counterpart, and Sinnoh's best (failed) attempt at a Kalosian accent rang out;

"Ladies and gentlemen, bonjour! Please join me now in welcoming the lovely Performers who will grace our Invitational stage today!"

At that, the Performers paraded out together to the stage, lining up and waving at the many cheering (and some drooling) fans. There were indeed quite a few big names this year; not only Serena, but Shauna and Miette had come to represent Kalos, the world's biggest Showcase region by far. There were a few newer faces from various regions, and then…

"Look", Milo actually jumped out of his seat, "There she is! Woohoo! Go, Kara!"

His girlfriend was as lovely as ever, and had opted for a rather simple, dark red one shoulder dress that was adorned with a mesmerizing fire pattern rising from the shoulder. The dress had a slit all the way up her right leg to allow for more freedom of movement. It was rather stark, and made her stand out from her brightly colored, highly decorated peers.

 **Kara**

She, like many of her fellow Performers, had brought a Pokémon with her to greet the crowd, and Florence strode elegantly behind her as she waved. She'd made a note of where Milo and Amaya were sitting, and though she couldn't see them she kept flicking her eyes that way, trying to assuage the bundle of nerves she was actively fighting back.

Finally, the general hubbub began to subside, and the announcer at last revealed the format of the Showcase.

"We are most honored to have 24 marvelous Performers with us today!"

 _Get on with it_ , she urged him mentally, _Tell us the first round already._

 _He does seem rather unnecessarily thorough_ , added her Gardevoir, _I should think, however, that we can be confident in ourselves. Our team is quite adept and ready to handle any sort of challenge with which they may present us._

Kara smiled gratefully at Florence's encouragement, and her ears perked up as the announcer _at last_ got around to the competition's format.

"For the first round, we have divided our lovely Performers into three groups of eight! In homage to our esteemed Coordinator associates, the competition shall be...double battling! Yes-" He had to stop as the crowd erupted with delight.

"Hmph, figures", Amaya smirked, "Sinnoh always loves a good battle."

On the stage, many eyes shot open in surprise, and many faces fell. Kara's, however, was not one of them. While most Performers' teams had little to no battling experience, her team had been training at full force with Milo and Amaya for half a year.

 _Well_ , noted Florence rather smugly as Kara let a huge smile break out, _It would seem our chances have just increased quite significantly._

 _That's putting it lightly_ , replied Kara, _But we're not the only ones here with battling experience. I mean, Serena is here, and she's literally married to the Pokémon Master. I'm sure there are a few others as well. Still, I think we just got a huge leg up on at least two thirds of the field._

As they conversed, the announcer further explained that, as an additional homage to the Sinnoh region, the battles would be Trainer-style, not Contest-style.

"Each of our three groups will compete in a single-elimination tournament over the next two days to determine the three Performers who will advance to the freestyle final! Today will be the first round battles of each group, leaving tomorrow for the three sets of semifinals and finals. Now, without further ado..."

 _Good_ , Kara chuckled to herself, _There's already been plenty of ado._

"Here are your three groups!"

Screens around the auditorium flashed into life, and Kara quickly found her name – she was in Group 2. It appeared as though they had split up the groups fairly evenly in terms of talent, and each group had only one of the major Kalos stars. Kara would have to find a way past Miette if she wanted to earn a spot in the freestyle round she'd already worked so hard preparing for.

"Remember; each Performer will be allowed three Pokémon total; two starters and one substitute. The battle is not over until one Performer has lost all three Pokémon. Now, we will give our contestants ten minutes to prepare for their first round battles, and then we will kick things off with Group 1!"

Milo's whole face was aglow with excitement. Even Amaya wore a smug smirk. They knew Kara would breeze through this round, thanks to them.

"This is going to be _awesome_ ", Milo could hardly wait, "who knew we'd be treated to a battle tournament? What a cool idea!"

"I bet most of those Performers disagree", chuckled Amaya, "But yeah, this is way better than 'Find the Scraggy in the dark'."

For the two Trainers, it was not only entertaining, but rather amusing. Once the first group got going, it was clear that while the Performers had an abundance of natural talents, battling was typically not among them.

"Ridiculous", grunted Amaya at the end of one particular fight, "How did a Wingull just lose to a Numel? What a joke."

"I think the better question is; how does she expect to use a Numel in the freestyle round?" Milo sat back, "I mean, it's a Numel. Not really the most graceful or stylish of Pokémon."

"We'll never know", shrugged Amaya, "She'd have to beat Serena to make it there."

Milo nodded sagely and said around a mouthful of popcorn, "Fair enough."

After the first group had finished their quarterfinal round (Serena was the clear favorite, of course) Amaya glanced at her friend;

"Not freaking out yet?"

"Mmm?" Milo had just stuffed his mouth full of his second bag of popcorn, so he settled for a confused look in return.

Amaya rolled her eyes, "Chew your food. I meant, aren't you nervous yet about Kara's fight?"

He took a couple seconds to empty his mouth before replying nonchalantly;

"Nah. She's got this. It's only the first round, and she's not the unlucky one who has to beat Miette. Not today, at least. She's up against some random Kantoan Rookie. Open and shut, no problem."

 **Kara**

Down below, Kara was not feeling quite so confident. She'd chosen her three Pokémon; Zexon, Pyro, and Florence. She knew the three of them had spent enough time training with Milo and Amaya's Pokémon that they could probably manage well enough on their own, but she felt remarkably ill-prepared to play the part of Trainer.

 _I'm used to Performing, but...how do Milo and Amaya get so calm before battles? There's so much uncertainty. For a Showcase, I go in with a plan, I know exactly what to expect, but...a battle is a lot scarier!_

Her time for wondering was over before she knew it. All too soon she was waiting in the wings, listening as her name was announced and she stepped forward. She had decided to put on her best 'Amaya' face and totally ignore the crowd in order to remain focused on her battle.

 _Maybe acting like 'Maya will help me think like her_ , she reasoned.

Luckily, her opponent appeared just as nervous as Kara herself, and they both hesitated when the referee finally called;

"Battle begin!"

"Uh – Zexon! Florence! Let's go!"

"P-poliwag", called her Kantoan opponent, "and Ivysaur! Time to battle!"

There it was. The Pokémon were out.

 _Crap, now what?_ Kara hadn't really thought to plan out a course of action. Usually, Milo and Amaya just seemed to know what to do automatically.

Fortunately, Zexon had noticed her pause, and jumped in himself. He targeted the Ivysaur, but the Poliwag jumped in to protect its teammate.

 _Milady_ , Florence's mental voice came through, gentle but urgent, _If I may be so bold as to suggest a strategy; divide and conquer should play to our strengths, given Zexon's natural advantage over that Ivysaur. Allow me to handle the Poliwag – I'm certain I can at least contain her._

 _Perfect_ , Kara jumped on the idea immediately, _Do that. Thanks, Flo._

Clearing her throat, she gave the order aloud;

"Zexon, great job! Keep after that Ivysaur! Florence, take down the Poliwag, keep it isolated!"

Florence looked almost embarrassed as she deflected the Poliwag's insignificant Bubble attacks with a mere flick of her hand. Zexon, on the other side of the field, was pummeling the Ivysaur mercilessly. X-Scissor, Metal Claw, and Bullet Punch attacks came raining in on the panicked Seed Pokémon. It tried to counter with a Vine Whip, but the desperate attack was both ineffective and off-target.

"Dang", Milo nodded in approval, "Zexon's putting in work. He must love the chance to have a real battle."

At last, the Ivysaur went down, but not before leaving a parting gift. As it stumbled, the Kanto Performer called out;

"Quick, use Sleep Powder!"

Within seconds, the Ivysaur was unconscious, but Zexon had been put to sleep by the surprise attack. Kara frowned and paused before saying;

"Alright, Flo. You need to wrap things up over there so you and Pyro can work together on the last one."

As she returned her sleeping Scizor, her opponent revealed her third Pokémon;

"Let's go, Cubone, turn it around!"

"Pyro! We need your help!"

"Yeah", nodded Amaya, "She needs Flo to KO that Poliwag quick, because Pyro's up against Water and Ground here."

Never one to let her beloved Trainer down, Florence turned to focus on the persistent little Tadpole Pokémon that had been (unsuccessfully) trying to pepper her with weak Water attacks.

 _I apologize, young one_ , commented the Gardevoir to the little Water type, _But I cannot indulge you any longer. My attention is required elsewhere. It has been a pleasure battling you, and I hope you are not injured._

With that, the Embrace Pokémon's eyes glowed a bright blue and the Poliwag was thrown bodily across the arena, to the shock of the crowd.

"Wow!" The announcer was thrilled, "With one attack, Kara's Gardevoir has all but ended that Poliwag! A massive injection of Psychic power is on display here now, folks! Is Poliwag down already, or can it continue battling?"

 _I highly suggest you stay down_ , Florence warned, _Attacking you again would bring me no pleasure, but I will do what I must to win this battle._

Poliwag seemed to decide that staying down was in its own best interests, and suddenly Kara had a two on one advantage.

"Great work, Florence! Now, see what you can do to help Pyro!"

Once the numbers were in her favor, the Cubone stood no chance against Kara's overpowered team. Florence had an easy time holding the Lonely Pokémon still and applying Psychic attacks while Pyro turned the Ground type into a punching bag. It took a matter of seconds for it to go down like its two teammates.

 _Well_ , though Kara, _After all that freaking out, I barely had to do anything. My team handled it for me. Anyway, I'm moving on to Day Two!_

She graciously met her opponent in the middle of the field for a handshake and a wave to the crowd before stepping off to make way for the next two Performers to battle.

That evening, Milo eagerly undertook the task of showing his girlfriend how to prepare for her upcoming Day Two battles. Amaya decided to go off and 'do her own training', so she wouldn't have to "watch you two get all couple-y".

"Come on, 'Maya", Milo had responded, "we're not 'getting couple-y', we're helping Kara get ready for tomorrow. Sure you don't want to help?"

"Please", Amaya shot back sarcastically, "as if 'The Hammer' would ever train some noob. You guys do your thing, I'm going to start prepping for Volkner."

Milo just chuckled as he watched her head off;

"That's a joke. She's got two overpowered Ground types and a Luxray, what does she think she has to 'prepare' for? She just wants more time to work with Glacius. Whatever, she's missing out. Come on, let's get started."

An hour later, Amaya's joking prediction seemed almost prophetic as Milo and Kara sat huddled together on a couch in Milo's hotel suite, watching film of Kara's semifinal opponent, as well as Miette, who presented the biggest threat.

"So", the Performer questioned as they watched Miette's first round battle for the third time, her head nestled against Milo, "Zexon is in no matter what, right?"

"Exactly", Milo was loving this, "That way if she-"

"Hey, stop", Kara interrupted him as he tried to lean forward, "Don't move around, you're my pillow."

"Oh. Uh...sorry? Anyway, yeah, Zexon resists Psychic, Fairy, and Bug, which are her three go-to move types, so he'll be the one to carry you for sure."

"Right", she smiled cheekily, "Thanks. You're a very helpful and informative pillow."

"Oh, good", Milo rolled his eyes, "That's always been my dearest ambition."

The end result of the night's work was that Kara felt slightly better about the idea of battling Miette and much, much better about taking down the girl she'd meet in the semifinal.

So it was that the next morning in the Snowpoint Arena Kara met her semifinal rival, a girl from Unova, with a cool smile and a handshake. Her opponent was still as nervous as Kara herself had been the day before, and it was soon clear why.

Certainly, the other girl – Alicia was her name – had come in with some sort of plan; her Growlithe went straight after Zexon. However, this was exactly what Milo had warned Kara to beware of, and Florence was ready to cut off the Puppy Pokémon's fiery assault. As the Gardevoir easily contained the Fire type, Zexon was free to dominate Alicia's unfortunate Sawsbuck. The Season Pokémon fought back with a few interesting Fighting moves, like Double Kick and Jump Kick, but Zexon adjusted rapidly and took down the Grass type with few problems.

This drew out Alicia's final Pokémon, an Emolga. Zexon tried to pick up right where he'd left off, but the speedy Electric type had other plans. At Alicia's instruction, it zipped in to deliver a Shock Wave to Florence, who wasn't expecting to be double teamed.

"Zexon!" Kara's heart fluttered as control of the battle began to slip away from her, "Flo needs your help! Don't let them team up on her!"

She trusted that Zexon could figure out how to do that on his own. The fiercely loyal Scizor wasted no time jumping into the one-sided fray, blindsiding the Growlithe with a Night Slash.

Florence was grateful for the help, but alert to the danger – her Bug and Steel type teammate had just picked a fight with a Fire type.

 _Move, Zexon!_

Without waiting for him to comply, she blasted the Puppy Pokémon with a Psychic to get it as far away from Zexon as possible. In her desperation, however, she put more power into the attack than she'd meant to, and the Growlithe was, in fact, knocked out.

"Oh", Kara was surprised at the strength of her team, "Umm, great job, Flo! Now contain that Emolga so Zexon can wrap this up!"

Just as she had done to the Poliwag in the first battle, Florence used a combination of Double Team, Light Screen, and Confusion to keep the Emolga trapped and thoroughly disoriented while Zexon peppered it with Night Slash and Acrobatics attacks until it gave up the fight and stayed down.

"Wow", Amaya nodded from the stands, "I should ask you for advice more often. One night of work and her team looks like the best in the group."

"They really do", Milo sat back, "Just Miette left to beat. Come on, Kara…"

"What do you think her odds are?" Amaya asked.

"I'm pretty optimistic", nodded Milo, "I think Miette is the weakest of the big three, in terms of battling, so as long as Zexon does his thing and Pyro is there to keep them on the defensive, she should have a clear shot at a win.

 _Bzzzt_

Milo's Pokétch buzzed. He glanced down and cracked up immediately.

"Bahaha! What the heck is she doing?"

Amaya looked over to see what was so funny, and Milo showed her the text he had received. It was from Kara and it just said;

 _Holy crap I'm so nervous, AAAAAHHHH! Okay, just had to get that out. I'm good now. See you soon, love you, thank you, etc. -K_

Snickering, Amaya couldn't resist a comment;

"Wow, 'Love you, thank you, etc'. Real touching."

Milo just waved a hand nonchalantly, "Eh, she knows I get the idea. No need to be cheesy and gushingly romantic _all_ the time."

"Ah, okay, so just _most_ of the time, then?"

"Shut up, 'Maya", Milo rolled his eyes, embarrassed.

As expected, Miette won the second semifinal of the group in convincing fashion. With mild interest, Milo and Amaya watched Shauna decimate her semifinal opponent (in the cutest way possible, of course).

Kara, meanwhile, was doing everything on her power to control the shaking in her hands, as Serena easily claimed the first spot in the freestyle round. Then, finally…

"And now, madames et monsieurs, please welcome the finalists from Group 2. First, we have yet another superstar all the way from Kalos! Please welcome the one and only blue-haired beauty...Miette!"

The Kalos star had always been brimming with confidence, and she waved exuberantly to the crowd as she entered, blowing kisses and winks every which way. When she was finally positioned in her Trainer box, the announcer resumed;

"Facing her will be one of Sinnoh's very own! A local breakout from Floaroma; with brilliantly balanced beauty and brains, please give it up for...Kara!"

Much more subdued, Kara smiled and waved a bit as she walked to the center of the battlefield to meet Miette, who shook her hand and said;

"Congrats on making the final! You should be proud of your team for making it this far no matter what happens, okay?"

Miette's thinly veiled arrogance was enough to light a spark in Kara;

"You say that like you've already won. You should know that anything can happen in a battle. We're not done until it's over. Good luck, Miette."

That brought a small frown and a crease of the eyebrows from the famous Performer, and as Kara walked away she thought to herself;

 _I can't believe I just said that to one of the best Performers in the world! Oh man, this is really happening…_

Still, her calm, smiling facade was unbroken, and to the rest of the world she was totally ready and unaffected by the pressure of going head to head with one of the world's most famous Performers.

"Battle...begin!"

Miette wasted no time;

"Alright, here we go! Slurpuff, Meowstic, you're in!"

"Zexon!" Kara was quick to make her own call, "And Pyro!"

"Shoot", Milo jumped out of his seat immediately, "No, Kara, NO! Dang it! She should have started Florence! Pyro should have waited until he could go after Vivillon!"

"Guess she'll have to adapt", commented Amaya, crossing her arms, "That or she'll just lose."

"No", replied Milo firmly, "She can still make this work. She's got this."

"Pyro", called Kara below, "you take the front; go after Slurpuff! Zexon, keep the Meowstic occupied!"

Milo sat back and breathed a huge sigh of relief, "There we go. Well, played. She's isolated the type matchups perfectly. Fire on Fairy, and Bug on Psychic."

Miette seemed to have recognized this as well;

"Stick together, you two! Slurpuff, use Light Screen and Safeguard!"

Just like that, the battle became incredibly cagey. Slurpuff continually threw up shielding moves which the impatient Pyro struggled to penetrate. Once their setup was complete, the experience and understanding between Miette's team began to shine through, as they reacted together to the threats posed by Kara's team.

From behind the safety net provided by Slurpuff, Meowstic sniped Pyro time and again with ranged Psychic attacks that damaged and frustrated the Fire Horse Pokémon. At the same time, the Meringue Pokémon was doing everything in her power to keep Zexon from attacking her Psychic teammate. Every time Kara's Scizor tried to close on Meowstic, an Energy Ball or a Fairy Wind would force him to dodge and break off his attack.

Kara was frantically racking her brain to come up with a way to beat this defensive strategy.

 _This wasn't in the plan_ , she thought, _It wasn't supposed to go like this...What do I do? I've got the type advantage, but she's not letting me use it! Ugh, I need that type advantage to...wait, do I really need it?_

Kara blinked as the thought occurred to her, and a second later she called out;

"Hey guys, switch! Zexon, let the Meowstic go and take down Slurpuff! Pyro, see what you can do about – NO!"

She was just a second too late. Pyro took yet another Psychic attack just as Kara called the switch, and went down. Heart in her throat, the Rookie recalled her fallen Rapidash and sent in her third Pokémon;

"Florence, you're up! We need you now!"

The Embrace Pokémon read the situation in an instant;

 _Pyro was defeated, I presume? Shall I focus on Meowstic?_

"Yeah, Flo! That Meowstic is your job, now! Zexon, focus everything you have on Slurpuff!"

Milo applauded excitedly from the stands;

"Perfect! What a brilliant adjustment! Flo's a much better matchup against Meowstic – she has range moves, better special defense, and more mobility."

Kara was surprised to feel a flash of anger from her normally calm and focused Psychic type;

 _How dare you! How utterly disrespectful and distasteful of you, sir! I shall show you exactly what this 'upstart newcomer' is capable of!_

Frowning, Kara asked quickly;

 _You alright, Flo? You're not usually this heated._

Florence had begun a lightning fast combination of Teleport and Moonblast attacks that brought the crowd to its feet. Meowstic could hardly move as it was battered about by attacks that seemed to come from random directions. Neither he nor Miette had any response for the fury of an angry Gardevoir, and within a minute Meowstic crumpled to the ground, defeated.

Breathing heavily, Florence at last explained herself;

 _That rude buffoon of a Meowstic had the nerve to make telepathic contact with me only to bombard me with insults about my appearance and yours, not to mention our abilities. I cannot abide such disrespect in the midst of an official competition._

Kara frowned at that. No wonder Florence had been so upset. She'd known Miette had a reputation for being aggressively competitive, but to sink so low as telepathic trash talk between Pokémon?

 _Well, you did a brilliant job shutting him up, Flo. Look, your standing ovation is still going strong! For now, though, let's focus up._

Zexon had Slurpuff well in hand, and was patiently applying pressure to the beleaguered Fairy type. Slurpuff was actually lucky to still be in the battle – Zexon was purposely taking this fight as slowly as possible, trusting that this would allow Florence to work her magic on the rest of Miette's team.

As Miette brought out her final Pokémon, Vivillon, the crowd was indeed still screaming for Florence, who had absolutely crushed Miette's considerably famous Meowstic.

"Hmph", Miette was downright glaring at this Rookie who had somehow gotten level with her, "You caught me unprepared, but it won't happen again. Vivillon, get this Gardevoir out of here! Use Poison Powder, Stun Spore, Sleep Powder, anything!"

"Back off, Flo! Get clear!"

Unfortunately, Kara's Embrace Pokémon had been caught flat-footed. She Teleported away, but not fast enough to avoid Poison Powder. Kara's fear began creeping back in, but she fought it down;

 _I can still fix this. I can do this._

"Heal Pulse, Flo!"

The goal, in Kara's mind, was to prepare Zexon for what could become a 2-on-1 situation, if Florence went down. Flo understood perfectly, and Kara's Scizor gave a roar as his energy came rushing back to him.

"Zexon", called the Floaroma Rookie, "Florence is in trouble! We need you to hurry up with Slurpuff!"

With a grunt, Zexon turned back to his mildly bothersome Fairy opponent. Seeing the dangerous glint in his eye, the Meringue Pokémon actually backed off a bit. No more games. Zexon seemed to flip some internal switch and hit a new level of aggression.

Like lightning, he dashed in with an Acrobatics, followed immediately by a super effective Metal Claw. Just as Miette's token Pokémon gathered itself for a counterattack, Zexon's Iron Head put it down for good. Yet again, an all-out offensive blitz from Kara had put paid to Miette's prized team. Now, however, Zexon had no time to celebrate. He turned quickly to face Vivillon, who had just landed a Sleep Powder on the already poisoned Florence.

"Yes!" Kara's heart was pounding at a mile a minute as she breathlessly cheered her strongest battler onward, "Come on, Zexon! Flo needs you; take down this Vivillon! You can do it!"

Assuming that Florence was essentially down, Vivillon turned to face this new threat, leading with a Stun Spore to neutralize Zexon's dangerous attacks. The Pincer Pokémon was alert to the danger, and cut a wide berth around to get between Vivillon and the still-downed Florence.

"Don't get too close for too long, Zexon! Try Razor Wind!"

"Hmph! Psybeam!"

Vivillon's more direct attack pierced the Razor Wind, and Zexon grunted as he took it head on. Fortunately he was not confused, and he leapt in quickly to land a Metal Claw and an Acrobatics. Vivillon was left reeling, but Zexon had the discipline of a true battler. He backed off just as quickly as he had jumped in, and was thus able to escape the wild Psybeam counterattack.

"Catch that thing, Vivillon!" Miette was furious that she had been put at such a disadvantage, "Use Hurricane!"

"No, Zexon!"

There was nothing Kara or her Scizor could do. Hurricane swept up the Pincer Pokémon and battered him ruthlessly. He was already tired from his earlier fighting, and was near the limit of his strength when suddenly Hurricane just...stopped. Vivillon gave a surprised yelp, and all eyes in the stadium widened in shock as a pained, poisoned, weakened Florence stood with her eyes glowing blue and her face a mask of focus and exertion.

 _Strike...now!_

Zexon understood perfectly. Florence, with the last of her strength, was giving him the opening he needed to end this. Vivillon, meanwhile, was struggling with all its might to break the Gardevoir's psychic hold, to no avail. Zexon dug deep for one last burst of strength and launched a final Acrobatics. As soon as his attack connected, Florence released her power and slumped forward, utterly spent.

Kara could hardly breathe as she watched the blur of furious motion that was Zexon and Vivillon. Surely, Florence's sacrifice play would be enough…?

"ZOOOORR!"

Just like that, it was over. Zexon roared as he at last stopped, allowing an unconscious Vivillon to tumble to the floor. He made a magnificent sight standing alone above his enemies, bruised and battered, chest heaving, totally exhausted, one metal fist raised high, standing with the pride of a warrior on the field of victory.

Noise exploded all around them; the crowd was absolutely delirious at the scenes played out before them.

"YEESSSS!"

Milo was screaming at the top of his lungs, ecstatic that his girlfriend had pulled off the biggest upset of the entire Snowpoint Invitational. Even Amaya was on her feet applauding with a smile.

"Damn", said the Twinleaf girl, "That was one hell of a fight. Zexon is for real."

"Unbelievable!" Even the announcer could hardly believe it, "What a battle, ladies and gentlemen! After an instant classic, Sinnoh's very own pride and joy, in her Rookie year, has taken down one of the biggest stars in all of Pokémon Performing! Let's give it up for...KARA!"

The screams of the crowd grew and grew, resounding up to the heavens. Amaya had been spot on: Sinnoh did love a good battle.

As the crowd's energy showed no sign of letting up, Kara returned her weary team and crossed to the middle of the field to meet Miette. The blue-haired star's lips were pursed together, all of her earlier confidence, cheer, and bravado gone.

"Good battle", she said curtly to the Rookie.

"Same to you", replied Kara coolly. She hadn't forgotten about the trash talk and arrogance of before.

"You weren't supposed to win that. You'll never beat Serena and Shauna in the next round", Miette's anger threatened to bubble over, "You won't even challenge them. You know that, right?"

"Well", Kara looked the older Performer in the eye, "I've earned the right to find out, haven't I? Goodbye, Miette."

Without looking back, Kara turned on her heel and left the field. A man met her in the hallway and took her Pokémon to get them healed as quickly as possible. Kara herself continued almost numbly to her designated staging room. Now that she wasn't in the spotlight, all the adrenaline, the nerves, the shock and the joy of what had just happened came flooding over her.

Her hands started shaking, her legs began wobbling, and she was almost hyperventilating.

"Oh...My...Gosh", she said to nobody in particular, "That just...I...How did that happen?"

She had just reached her staging room when her ever-illustrious older cousin came dashing down the hallway;

"That was absolutely amazing, little Kay!"

"Oh, hi Serena!"

The teenager's face lit up as both Performers ducked into the staging room before the older of the two cousins grabbed Kara for a big hug.

"I can't believe how strong your team is! And what a dramatic win, too! Guess what?"

Kara, still trembling as she processed the magnitude of what she had just done, asked tremulously;

"Uh, what?"

"This means we get to actually compete against each other, for real!"

"Huh? Oh…" As the implications of this slowly made their way through to her, Kara's eyes shot wide open.

"Oh! Oh my gosh, no way! I can't believe this is happening!"

They hugged excitedly for another brief moment before Serena pulled away and began in a more serious tone;

"You know, Miette is probably going to be bitter about this for a while. She doesn't like losing, especially when she feels like she deserves to win. Trust me, I would know."

"Well", Kara frowned and crossed her arms, "I'm not super thrilled with her, either. She and her Pokémon were trash talking me before, during, and after the battle."

"Wait, what? What do you mean?"

"Well, before the battle, she told me to be proud of my team no matter what, like she was already trying to make me feel better about losing. Then her Meowstic said some really nasty things to Florence telepathically while they were fighting. That's why Flo got so upset. She even had some words for me afterwards, when we shook hands. She told me I wasn't supposed to win because I won't compare to you and Shauna in the freestyle round."

"Hmm", Serena frowned and thought for a second before answering, "Well, I wish I could say that's new, but it's not the first time I've heard about that kind of thing from Miette. You can turn it on her now, though. When you give your interview after the freestyle round, you should call her out on that. It's not right for her to do that just because you're a Rookie."

A knock at the door paused their conversation. It was one of the many Invitational staff members returning Kara's team to her, fully healed. Anxious to celebrate and get some last minute preparation in before the freestyle round, Kara bid farewell to her famous relative and returned to the fancy hotel.

After another few hours of celebration and jubilation with Milo and Amaya, the young Performer at last flopped down on the couch in the living room of her suite and allowed herself to relax for the first time in the entirety of her whirlwind day.

 _I beat Miette_ , she thought numbly, her brain still trying to keep pace with the day's events, _I get to go up against Serena and Shauna in the freestyle round tomorrow. Wow…_

With a flash, Florence emerged and sat neatly beside her Trainer.

 _We performed admirably today. It was truly a team effort, one which required everything of us. You held us together most wonderfully in that final battle, milady Kara._

"Thanks, Flo", Kara and her Gardevoir leaned peacefully against one another like best friends, "With your control and Zexon's power, we got the job done. I'm super proud of you guys."

 _Our steely companion was truly magnificent today_ , agreed Florence, _You know, of course, that his loyalty to you runs deeper than most._

Curious, Kara asked, "What do mean, Flo? Deeper than most? Do you just mean because I've known him longer?"

 _He's never told you? Hearing the story of your meeting from his perspective was quite an illuminating experience._

"Flo", Kara laughed, "You know he'd have to go through you or Milo and Azura to tell me the story. Come on, spill it! You've got me wondering now."

 _Well, I shall do my best, though I'm afraid I may lack the intensity with which he related the tale to me initially…_

 **Flashback - Zexon**

All Scyther were proud and ruthless warriors. Amongst wild Scyther, especially, absolute loyalty to one's hive was paramount. It was a way of life. Anything the hive wished was carried out unquestioningly by its members.

Behind this loyalty, the one attribute most valuable to a Scyther was strength in battle. Those deemed unfit or unworthy to defend the hive were cast out, exiled without exception or hope of return.

 _It shouldn't have been this way_ , Zexon could not escape this thought as he lay motionless at the base of a large tree, _I was a warrior. I was capable of fighting for the hive. Yet here I am._

He'd been a rising star amongst the Scyther in his hive, the most disciplined of them all. He looked set to become one of their leaders before too long, but he had one rival who was envious of his success. This rival had hated him enough to initiate a challenge for the right to remain with the hive. The winner would remain, and the loser would be exiled.

 _I should have won. He had never beaten me before. His victory was false._

Zexon's rival had enlisted one of the other Scyther to ambush and injure him moments before their challenge, and Zexon had afterwards been unable to defeat the challenger in his weakened state. Just like that, he was out, forever exiled and cast adrift from his only source of life and purpose.

He knew how to hunt and what to do to survive on his own, but…

 _Why? I have no more reason to survive. Protecting and serving the hive was my entire life. Without that, I am but a warrior in search of a war. I am a protector with nothing to protect. What use is a shield that guards nothing?_

He had resolved himself to stay here, under this very tree, until death should release him from the shame of his exile. Resigned, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, already weak from hunger.

"Hey, Mr. Scyther!"

His eyes snapped back open. A small human girl came skipping over to him, her bright young face beaming at him. A tiny Eevee kit was bouncing along behind her merrily.

The girl, who couldn't be much older than 5 or 6, stopped in front of the bone-weary Zexon;

"You look really tired, Mr. Scyther. I know! Mom told me about some berries that help Pokémon feel better! Onan Berries? No...uh...Well, I don't remember, but they were blue and round. I'll find you some and you'll feel lots better. Be right back, Mr. Scyther!"

With that, she skipped away, humming a merry tune with her Eevee in tow. Zexon was once again alone with his crushing despair.

 _Foolish girl_ , he thought, _you could never understand. I am already lost; your efforts are wasted on this outcast. I shall expire, and be free of my shame._

Fate, however, had other plans. Somehow, the young human had actually found a nearby wild Oran bush and came flouncing back with a bundle of the blue berries, which she set carefully next to Zexon. He looked disparagingly at them, before turning his head away. Survival was not his goal.

"You're not going to eat?"The Eevee spoke to him, just as young and naive as the girl, "They really do work. They heal you and they're yummy, too."

"I will not eat", he replied shortly, "This is my last resting place."

"You're taking a nap?"The Eevee clearly could not understand the sacrifice he was trying to make.

"...Leave me be, young one. Leave me to my final solitude."

As the Pokémon were conversing, the human girl had sat down next to the berries, and wiggled her small self close to Zexon. She now held up a couple of the Oran Berries up to him, cupped in her soft, tiny hands.

The Scyther glanced down at the berries, then up to the girl, who smiled expectantly at him;

"Come on, Mr. Scyther, don't be scared! They'll help you, promise!"

He turned away once more, and her smile became a pouting frown. She was about to encourage him yet again when there came a flurry of activity and a loud cry;

"VEEEEE!"

The girl jumped to her feet as Zexon's head snapped up. It was the Eevee. A small pack of Murkrow had apparently decided she looked like a good catch.

"NOOO!" The girl lunged at the attackers. There were three of the Darkness Pokémon trying to carry off the struggling Eevee, but the human girl threw herself in, shielding her small, brown pet with her own body;

"You can't have Coffee, you mean Murkrow! Go away! Aahh!"

Zexon watched, eyes narrowed, as they began pecking at the girl, jabbing at her as she protected Coffee the Eevee. With every stab of their sharp beaks and each slash of the vicious talons, a new gash was sliced into the girl's skin. She screamed in pain, but refused to surrender the Eevee, keeping her small body curled around the young Pokémon protectively.

 _They will not give up,_ Zexon knew, _Murkrow are relentless, especially in groups. She could very well perish if she does not relinquish the kit..._

He looked again at the pile of life-giving Oran berries sitting beside him.

 _It is not my concern_ , he told himself. Still, the girl's pained shrieking as the Dark types jabbed at her savagely made him reconsider.

 _I...Even without my hive, surely there is purpose in protecting the innocent?_

One last pained gasp from the girl all but cemented his decision, and he was already in motion, stuffing berries into his mouth as the Eevee called out to him from underneath the girl's bloodied body;

"Please! Please, Scyther, make them stop hurting my Kara!"

He felt renewed energy flood his veins and leapt to his feet. He came screaming into the midst of the melee, admonishing the three hunters as he did;

"Begone, vile scavengers! Hunt a more worthy prey than a defenseless human and her young Eevee! Leave this place, or I shall destroy you all!"

"Hey", squawked one of the Murkrow indignantly, awkwardly avoiding Zexon's Wing Attack, "The hell's your problem, Scyther? We got some rights too, this is the wild, pal! Butt out and mind your own damn business!"

"I said", Zexon swung a Fury Cutter through the startled Dark type, "Begone from here! Flee or face my wrath!"

"Ah, hell", said another Murkrow, "Come on, boys. You know it ain't no use messing with a pissed off Scyther. We'll have to find grub somewhere else. Hey, screw you, buddy!"

Zexon disregarded this parting shot, and spoke to the Eevee;

"Are you unharmed, small one?"

"I-I think I'm okay. B-but Kara!"

"Kara? The human girl?"

The Eevee was quickly becoming hysterical; the girl was lying motionless on the grass. Cuts, bruises, and blood were dotted all over the back of her small body.

"My Kara! I need her! Scyther, you have to help her! Please, she's my Kara and I love her! Please!"

All thoughts of noble, sacrificial death were gone from Zexon's mind. He snapped instantly into his warrior's mindset, and laid out a plan.

"Quickly, young one, you must go. Do you know the way back to the humans' hive?"

"You mean where Kara lives? I...I can follow the smell to get home!"

"Good. You must go, now. Bring them here. They will not trust a wild Scyther, so I will remain here and give her some of the Berries she brought. When you get back I shall observe from afar so as not to frighten them."

"Okay! Help her, Scyther! I'll go get Momma and Daddy!"

Coffee the Eevee took off as fast as her little legs could carry her, and Zexon turned his attention back to the girl.

 _Her wounds are many_ , he thought grimly, _I have no way of giving her a Berry if she is not awake to eat it._

He'd said what he needed to in order to convince Coffee to go, but...There was truly very little he could do beyond watching over the unconscious Kara.

 _Sad_ , thought Zexon, _For all my strength and my discipline, this small human girl has saved two lives today, the Eevee's and my own, and here am I completely helpless to save hers. I owe her my life, though I was so ready to abandon that life mere moments ago._

The more he thought about it, the more he cursed his own shortsightedness.

 _Protection_ , he realized, _is not only for the hive, but for all that I hold precious. Perhaps I shall indeed die today – like every Metapod, I shall shed my old self and become something new. I owe this girl my life, and I shall make good on my debt with all that I have. Should she survive this ordeal I shall remain always by her side; her guardian and her shield against any that would harm her._

Just as he made this promise to Kara and to himself, a commotion snapped his attention back to the present. It was Coffee the Eevee returning with a human man. As he had promised earlier, Zexon moved off to watch from a distance. The man's face paled as he saw the young girl lying, unconscious and bloodied, on the forest floor.

"Kara!" He was breathless as he scooped her in his strong arms, "Kara, my daughter, stay with me, we'll get you help. Just hold on!"

He immediately took off, sprinting as fast as he dared back towards the human hive. The Eevee made to follow, but then stopped and called out;

"Hey Scyther…I know you're out there. Thanks for watching over my Kara while I was gone. I love her and I'd be super-duper sad if anything bad happened to her. Thank you."

The little Eevee's gratitude touched the tough Scyther.

"Wait", he called, knowing that the human man was safely away, "Eevee. May I ask you something?"

Coffee clearly wanted to go after her Kara, but waited as Zexon showed himself, "Umm, what?"

"Tell me something, small one. The girl, Kara – is she always so innocent and loving? What is she really like?"

The Eevee responded instantly and with gusto, "She's wonderful and beautiful and she loves me lots and lots all the time!"

"I thought as much", nodded the Mantis Pokémon, "In that case, I have a request. I presume that, with the humans' help, she shall soon recover from the injuries of the Murkrow attack. When she does so, please bring her back here. I wish to become her protector. She has done more for me in this small time than either of you can realize. I owe her my life and a Scyther does not forget his debts. Will you do this for me?"

Most of the grandeur and purpose in Zexon's proclamation went well over the head of the young Eevee, but she got the gist of the request;

"Uh, you want to be our friend? That sounds like fun! I'll bring my Kara here soon and you can join our family! Good idea, Scyther!"

"…Zexon. That is my given name."

"Okay, Zexon! I can't wait for you to join us! I'm going to go now, though. I have to make sure my Kara is safe and sound. She needs me!"

 **End Flashback**

Tears filled Kara's eyes as Florence wrapped up the story.

"I…I never knew", she said in a hushed voice, "I remember that Murkrow attack, but I never realized just how much that meant to Zexon. When we met him in the woods a few days after I recovered, I thought it was chance."

 _All of us care deeply for you_ , said Florence calmly, _but his devotion goes beyond anything the rest of us can comprehend. That is why he fights and trains with so much dedication. The stronger he becomes, the more he feels he can protect you._

Silently, Kara lifted her shirt on the right side, touching a soft hand to the scars that still remained on her skin, ten years after the terrifying ordeal with the wild Murkrow. Not even Milo knew of the thin lines that yet crisscrossed the skin on her back.

Hearing Zexon's side of the story was illuminating, to say the least. Eventually Coffee the Eevee had, of course, become Verdante the Leafeon. Then, some years later, Frost had arrived as a gift from Serena. Now they had added Madame, Pyro, and Florence to complete their little family. Through it all, Zexon had stood firmly and unquestioningly by her side, and now – now she understood why.

"I guess…" She smiled as a thought occurred to her, "That makes our freestyle performance tomorrow even more meaningful, you know?"

 _Indeed it does_ , smiled Florence, _He was quite honored when you chose to feature him so prominently at such a grand event. Stoic though he may be, that steely Scizor does have quite the dramatic flair when called upon._

It was this freestyle performance that now loomed large for the young Performer and her team. They had been preparing since before Milo's rematch with Marcus, all the way back in Hearthome. Now, at last, the time had come to show it to the world.

In fact, Kara was left with very little time to mentally process her shock victory over Miette, as the final round of the Showcase portion of the Snowpoint Invitational was the very next day. It was only after she arrived at the stadium that she learned she would be going first. Supposedly this was random, but she knew better.

"I see what they're doing", she commented offhandedly to Verdante, "They don't want me to go after the big two, because there's no way I could follow them. This is a courtesy thing."

Up in the stands once more, Milo and Amaya settled in to watch;

"This better be perfect", Amaya said, "I've been watching her run through it for months."

"I can't wait", Milo was leaning forward in his seat, "I know she's going to kill it."

The announcer soon came on and, with the typical flair, got the crowd hyped up;

"Madames et monsieurs! We are at last ready for the final round of this fantastic spectacle here in the fair city of Snowpoint! Welcome one and all to the freestyle final! Please put your hands together for the sensational surprise contender – the Performer from right here in Sinnoh who has proven herself against the very best; she is here to perform wonders for you once more, it's….KARA!"

As the crowd screamed with delight, Kara's voice rang out across the loudspeaker;

"Pyro, Fire Spin!"

From one side of the stage, a brilliant tornado of flame ignited and twisted across, leaving a wall of brilliant fire across the whole stage.

"Now, Florence!"

A blue energy from behind the flame wall split three gaps open, one on each side of the stage and one in the middle. From the middle gap emerged Florence, her eyes glowing a spectacular blue as her Psychic held the gaps open allowing two other figures to step through on her left and right.

Kara, still in the same stark red dress as before, stepped through on one side, her face fierce and bold, staring almost challengingly out at the crowd. From the other side came Zexon, the proud Scizor not even flinching as the flames licked dangerously close to his metal body.

"Ready", called Kara. Immediately, the flaming wall whooshed dramatically inward to become a blazing pillar in the middle of the stage behind the still glowing Florence.

"Swords Dance! Go!"

Milo held his breath. This was it, for better or worse.

The crowd fell into an awed hush as both Pokémon and Performer began slowly moving in perfect sync. As one, Kara and Zexon performed the ritualistic, martial arts-style dance that many Pokémon used to build up their power. In perfect unison, they flowed hypnotically from one stance to the next, picking up speed and intensity all the time, without breaking their inch-perfect timing.

As the Swords Dance grew and grew in energy and ferocity, the pillar of flame, controlled carefully by Florence and Pyro, began flickering and bursting, accentuating the kicks, jumps, and spins of the Swords Dance below. It was not the kind of cutesy, peaceful, passive beauty that many Showcase fans were accustomed to; it was stark and bold, commanding respect. It was a new kind of beauty, and it only continued as Kara and Zexon were now twirling, kicking, jumping, and punching with a furious intensity, still in perfect synchronization on either side of the glowing Florence, who stood stock still, her arms raised in an awesome display of Psychic control as she commanded Pyro's flames to accentuate the Swords Dance magnificently.

At last, with one final yell from both Swords Dancers, the whole stage went still. The pillar of fire at last died down, and Florence's eyes returned to their normal color. From behind them, Pyro at last showed himself, leaping into the middle of the stage, straight over the unmoving Florence's head to land with a powerful and iconic cry, rearing up on his back legs in a display of the same raw, untamed beauty that had become the tone of the performance. When the proud Rapidash was done, nobody in the stadium moved a muscle until the Performer and all three Pokémon at last broke formation and bowed, signifying that the performance was over.

Wild applause instantly rained down from all sides; once again, Kara had thrown out the unwritten rulebook and done something nobody could remember seeing before on a Showcase stage. It was a display of symbolism and of power that defied imagination, not to mention perfect execution.

Milo was delirious, and even Amaya was impressed. Off stage, Serena leaned over to her good friend Shauna, and said;

"Well, that was something new. She won't win, but perhaps she deserves to, for that kind of creativity."

"Yep", nodded Shauna, "She really put herself out there. I can see why you're so excited to bring her to Kalos next season. Alright", she hugged her friend, "here I go! See you on the other side! Best of luck, Serena!"

As amazing as Kara's performance had been, it was eclipsed in seconds as Shauna took the stage and began doing what she loved, and what she did best. Her Venusaur and Gothitelle stood in the middle of the stage. A Psychic bubble, outlined by the glittering Fairy energy of Flabébé, held the superstar aloft as she twirled picturesquely in midair, like a ballerina suspended above the stage. As she moved, Gothitelle floated her this way and that, and her small Single Bloom Pokémon followed dutifully along, leaving a sparkling trail in her wake as Shauna enchanted the audience with her ethereal beauty. After a few minutes of this mesmerizing display, Gothitelle gave a cry and flung Shauna up in the air before releasing her psychic hold on the Performer.

Unperturbed, Shauna let her momentum carry her, spinning gracefully as she rose, stopped, and began to fall. The whole audience gasped, as Shauna plummeted towards the stage. At the last possible second, a focused Venusaur whipped out a strong pair of vines, catching Shauna safely around the waist as planned. From here the Kalosian star continued spinning and fluttering about above the stage, carried safely by the strong vines of her loyal Seed Pokémon.

Flabébé still followed her, leaving glittering bits of Fairy energy behind as Shauna's impossibly elegant movements began drawing a pattern in the air. At last, with one final flourish, Shauna dropped, beaming, to the floor, hands wide. Above her, outlined by Flabébé's Fairy energy, was the symbol of Kalos, a perfect midair drawing of Lumiose City's iconic Prism Tower.

The crowd screamed and cheered – it was another instant classic of a performance from one of the best in the world. Kara's symbolism and stark beauty had been fantastic, no doubt, but Shauna and her team were simply on another level entirely.

"Well", said Amaya with a shake of the head, "Kara's not beating that, sorry."

"Yeah", Milo agreed, "Sad, but true. The skill and coordination there were just insane. Of course, that means Serena has to top that somehow. I mean, it is Serena, though, so I'm sure she can."

"It'll be hard", frowned The Hammer, "that had to be damn near perfect."

Amaya was right, and nobody knew that better than Serena herself.

"Wow, Shauna", said the Kalos Queen as her friend left the stage, beaming, "I can tell you've been working hard! That was incredible!"

"Aww, thanks!" Shauna was breathless with excitement, but polite as ever, "But I still can't wait for you to get out there and really show us how it's done!"

"Ha!" The two veteran Performers shared a laugh, "I'll certainly do my best. See you soon!"

Out in the stadium, the announcer could hardly contain himself, "And now, the moment we have all been waiting for! We are in the presence of royalty now, so please give a true Sinnoh welcome to the reigning Kalos Queen herself…SERENA!"

Out she came, smiling and waving as she made her way to the center of the stage, surrounded by her three chosen Pokémon; Slyveon, Delphox, and Pangoro. The Queen of all Performers closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then called;

"Begin!"

She lifted her arms, and Pangoro, standing behind her, grasped her by the waist, set himself carefully, and launched her into the air. As she reached the apex of her jump, Serena halted, suspended in midair by Delphox's Psychic power.

"That kind of thing seems to be a Performer's bread and butter", commented Milo, "All three of them had Psychic stuff at the heart of their routines."

Amaya just nodded as the Kalos Queen's performance continued.

"Sylveon!"

The Intertwining Pokémon leapt forward with an eager cry and launched a Fairy Wind that swirled in a slow vortex around the whole group.

"Delphox", came Serena's next cry.

At once, the evolved Kalos starter matched the Fairy Wind with a Fire Spin. In the midst of it all, the beautiful Serena began drifting slowly back down to the stage floor.

"Ready", she said, "and…Now! Fairy's Glow! Stone Edge!"

It was difficult to comprehend what came next, much less describe it. The Fire Spin sort of…exploded, scattering small, fiery particles into the still-swirling Fairy Wind. Somehow, the bits of fire combined with the sparkling Fairy energy to produce a magical, glowing atmosphere that cast a soft pink aura out on the whole crowd. As this happened, Serena landed perfectly, knees bent, on a rising Stone Edge produced by Pangoro. As the stone spiked upwards, Serena launched herself into the air like an acrobat. The crowd held its breath as she flew, flipping over and over, high into the air. She flung her arms and legs out at the top of her leap and descended in freefall towards Pangoro, who moved underneath her and held one hand high. With an unprecedented degree of skill and coordination, Serena landed perfectly on the raised hand of her Daunting Pokémon, like an extreme cheerleader landing a jump. She stuck the landing with ease, despite the insane degree of difficulty, and held her pose for a second or two before leaping forwards gracefully. Once more, Delphox slowed her descent, and she completed one final front flip before landing safely on the stage with a gracious bow.

"Did that just happen?" Milo could barely hear his own screams of disbelief over the noise of the crowd. Serena had once again made the impossible look easy. _This_ was why she was the indisputable best of the best among Pokémon Performers. Nobody else in the world would have thought to attempt that feat, much less pull it off so effortlessly.

There was a vote, of course, as with all Showcases, but it was a formality at best. The foregone conclusion was that Serena would win, Shauna would place a respectable second, and Kara would bring up the rear. The votes confirmed this expected result, though the Rookie still got a sizeable cheer from the loyal Sinnoh crowd.

"Hey, I'll cheer for her", said a man several rows behind Milo, "Not every day you get to see a local girl up against the top Kalos ladies. She did us proud, alright! Woo!"

Just like Milo and Amaya after their big tournaments, Kara was quickly escorted to a media room to answer questions. Taking a page from her boyfriend's book, she let Verdante accompany her into the interview. This time, all three Performers were in the same media session;

"Kara", came the first question, "A wonderful performance today; did you expect to at least get a more significant portion of the vote?"

"Not at all", laughed the Rookie, "I knew going in that this was probably going to happen. Battling is one thing, but I can't match Shauna or Serena at actual Performing. Not yet, at least. I'm just thrilled I got the chance to participate in this round."

"This one's for you two; Shauna and Serena. Can we get your impression of Sinnoh's Performing scene now that you've been in direct competition with one of its rising stars?"

"I'll be the first to say I'm incredibly impressed", said Serena immediately, her face aglow, "I think Kara's effort today deserved more credit than she's been given. Just because it wasn't as flashy or technical as mine or Shauna's doesn't mean it had any less value."

"I'll second that", added Shauna graciously, "I really loved Kara's creativity and her authenticity. The symbolism of coming through the fire and using a power-boosting move alongside her Pokémon told a real story from the heart. It's something I'd love to see more of in the future!"

Kara blushed at the ardent praise from two of her idols, but had to recover herself as another question came in;

"Kara, if you could, talk to us about that upset over Miette in the battle round. I don't think anyone really saw that coming, what was your take on it?"

"Well", Kara prepared herself, and followed Serena's advice from the day before, "I have to say that Miette brought some of my team's aggression upon herself. Her attitude before the battle was a bit arrogant – she had already assumed she would beat me. When her Meowstic used telepathy to trash talk my Gardevoir, she triggered an angry reaction that wound up spreading to me and my Scizor as well. That extra push gave us the grit we needed to secure the win. I know she wasn't pleased about it either; there was a tense moment during the handshake afterwards."

"Shauna", asked the next reporter, "As a top Performer yourself, would you say this kind of thing is common at this level? Attitudes, trash talk, that kind of thing?"

"No", was the firm response, "I'm really sorry to hear about that. I know Miette's always been a very passionate competitor, but I really feel like trash talk, especially between Pokémon, is crossing a line. I certainly hope that kind of thing doesn't happen again, it really puts a smear on the beauty of Showcases and Performers."

"Okay", the media clearly loved this drama, "Strong feelings on that, I see. Finally, to Serena and Shauna, your thoughts on how today's freestyle round went for you?"

The two Kalosian stars went over their individual efforts and gave due credit to their teams, and with that the interview came to a close. Back in the staging room, the three Performers said their goodbyes and final congratulations to one another.

Kara was surprised when Shauna gave her a big hug and said;

"Hey, you did a great job! I'm really sorry that Miette gave you a hard time – she just hates losing, and lets her emotions get away sometimes. Here – if you ever need advice or encouragement, here's my number. Feel free to call! I know you've got Serena, but sometimes a fresh voice can be helpful!"

"Thanks so much, Shauna, it was an honor performing with you! Hopefully we can do it again sometime!"

"Oh", the older girl winked with a grin, "I'm sure we will! See you!"

Kara was beaming and glowing as she rode back to the hotel, her heart pumping at top speed from the exhilaration of it all. The perfect day was accentuated by a romantic touch, as Milo had prepared a special dinner to celebrate Kara's performance. Sure, she had lost, but all things considered, it still felt like a victory just to have been on the same stage as Serena and Shauna.

The young couple shared a beautiful dinner and returned to the hotel to relax with Amaya in Milo's suite. They were halfway through an action movie – they had stopped playing cards after Amaya won three games in a row and began bragging incessantly – when a knock came at the door.

"Huh?" Milo checked the time, "It's almost 11. Who could that be?"

He got up off the couch with a grunt, and made his way to the door.

"Hello? Who's – AH!"

The figure on the other side of the door tackled him immediately and began sobbing;

"M-Milo! I just had to come and s-see you!"

It was Candice. She was hysterical, and by the looks of things, she was more desperate than ever to claim Milo for herself at all costs.

Amaya and Kara leapt up and dashed over. Amaya shut the door quickly and took hold of Candice to pry her off of the stunned Milo. The Leader gave a screech and clung as tightly as she could to the Jubilife Trainer as Kara pleaded frantically;

"Candice! Please, this has gone on long enough, just drop it!"

"NO! No, I had to c-come and find you – you never called me! I can't let you go, Milo, I _need_ you! Please! You have to stay!"

Candice was well beyond distraught, and the chaotic moment took yet another twist, as Florence burst from her Pokéball in Kara's purse. The Gardevoir focused immediately on the wailing Gym Leader, using Psychic to pry her carefully away from Milo, who was too shocked to say much of anything.

 _Stand back, this woman is not herself!_ Florence's voice was urgent, and Kara echoed her request aloud;

"Both of you get back! Something's wrong with her!"

Milo and Amaya hastily retreated and Florence frowned with concentration. Held in place by Psychic, Candice squirmed and began writhing and screaming dramatically. It was a terrifying moment for all involved, but all of a sudden…

Everything stopped.

Candice went perfectly still, and her eyes closed. Flo's chest was heaving, her eyes still glowing. After a few seconds, she gently lowered Candice into a nearby chair, the Leader's body now limp.

"Flo", whispered Kara, "What did you just do? What happened to her?"

 _There – ah – there was a partial psychic hold on this poor woman_ , exhaustion was evident in the Embrace Pokémon's mental voice, and Kara put a supporting arm around the Gardevoir, who sank gratefully into it;

 _Many thanks, dear Kara. Ah – I did not expect such large amounts of effort to be required so suddenly. Allow me to explain._

Kara relayed her Pokémon's words aloud as Florence unpacked everything that had just happened;

 _As soon as this young woman – Candice, I believe I heard her called – entered our room, I felt something to be gravely amiss. Her mind was tainted and not entirely her own. It was evident to me very quickly that some Psychic force had gotten ahold of her and implanted an irrefutable, undeniable need to claim our own dear Milo for herself, in every possible way and by any necessary means._

 _What did you do to her?_ Kara asked, subdued by the serious implications of this unpredictable turn of events.

 _I…I have removed the hold on her. Her mind is once more her own. If I am not mistaken, she should awaken any minute now. Much explanation will surely be required._

As she said this, Candice's eyes fluttered open, and she stared uncomprehendingly at the three teenagers.

"What…? What did I – what was I thinking?"

"Umm", Kara was at a loss for how to explain things, "It, uh, appears that someone put a partial psychic hold on your mind. They made you – wow, there's no easy or non-awkward way to say this – they made you desperate for Milo. B-but, we know now that you weren't in control, it was forced on you."

Candice was stunned and bewildered as memories of what she'd been acting like came flooding back to her. As Kara and Amaya tried to help smooth things over, Milo's brain was whirring at top speed. Reaching instinctively for his belt, he poked a button, and out came Azura. He silently caught her up to speed on what had transpired, and the two were almost instantly thinking along the same lines.

 _We both know who controlled her_ , said Milo gravely to his Moonlight Pokémon.

 _But how? How could the PsyForce Tribe have done this to a Leader?_

 _Good question_ , Milo thought for a minute, but it was Azura who found a potential answer.

 _They would have needed reliable access to her person for some time to put such a strong influence on her without being noticed. Someone close to her must have been affected first, someone who could allow them to get to her._

 _That raises the same question though_ , replied Milo, _how did they control a Gym official?_

 _Remember what Marcus said before? When we first got to Snowpoint? The Tribe has been hitting seemingly minor targets across the region. Minor targets like, perhaps, a lowly staff member at the Gym. See what I mean?_

Realization dawned on Milo, and he quickly got up and headed for the phone in his bedroom.

"I'll be right back", he told the girls, "I have to clear something up."

He dialed Marcus as quickly as he could.

"Uh, Milo? What's up, bro? You look kind of freaked out."

"I am", he answered truthfully, "I have some questions, and maybe some answers…"

He explained as much as he could to his older brother, whose face became quite grim as the tale went on.

"That's…not good news, Milo. You're right, though. This does explain the weird targets the Tribe has been hitting. I'll take this to the Order's leadership and hopefully we can connect some dots, now that we know what to look for. I'm sorry about Candice – she's usually one of the sweetest Leaders in Sinnoh. I was really shocked when she used Abomasnow in your battle, that didn't fit her usual style in the slightest. Now I guess we know why."

Their conversation didn't go on much longer. Milo wanted to go check on the recovering Candice, and Marcus was anxious to follow this lead before the Tribe could cause any more collateral damage.

When Milo came back to the living room of the suite, Amaya and Kara were seated on either side of a shivering Candice, comforting her as best they could. The Leader was wrapped in several blankets and clutching a mug of what smelled like hot chocolate, huddled up on the seat where Florence had placed her. Her face was gaunt, her eyes wide.

"Hey", Milo spoke softly, "How's it going in here?"

"Milo", Candice sounded weak, a shell of her usual vibrant self, "I…I can't tell you how sorry I am. Truly. I have never been so humiliated in my life. I feel…used. Used, and filthy on the inside. I just can't believe I was controlled so easily. What a pathetic Leader I must be."

"No", Milo tried to calm her down, "Candice, don't blame yourself. I don't blame you at all for what happened. I totally understand now that you weren't in control, that you were being manipulated. Nobody would have expected that, there's nothing you could have done. Besides, it's over now, alright?"

Eventually, Candice recovered at least enough to go back to her Gym, leaving the three Rookies staring at one another, still in a state of disbelief. The somber mood persisted through the rest of that night and into the following morning, when the trio boarded a plane bound for Sunyshore. Damion would have accompanied them, but he had yet to defeat Candice's Ice types, and had to remain behind.

Amaya felt strangely conflicted about leaving their old rival behind, but she kept that to herself, and did her best to shut out what she considered to be a 'stupid crush'. After all, the last badge, defended enthusiastically by the one and only Volkner, awaited them in Sunyshore, along with who knew what else.

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I promise I'm not purposely making you guys wait forever between chapters. Sorry! Life happens, and I'd rather put more time into something I'm proud of than rush just to post something decent. I hope you can understand, and forgive my slow pace!**

 **Anyway, this chapter certainly has some fireworks, across the board. Extra props to you if you can decipher the symbolism and story behind Kara's performance! I'd really love your feedback on any part of the overall chapter that stuck out to you. The more feedback you give me, the more I can tweak and improve the story going forward. This will become more and more important as we enter the home stretch – I want the final handful of chapters to be something all of us can really enjoy!**

 **I'd like to give a HUGE shoutout to Joshy, who has provided the new AMAZING cover art for this story! THANK YOU! I can't say enough about how helpful you've been as this story has grown beyond what I imagined it could ever be. *clap clap clap***

 **I would also like to thank all my readers; I appreciate you taking the time to dig into the story and I hope you find it worthwhile. My hat is off to you all.**

 **Finally, a standard disclaimer – I don't own Pokémon, just my OC's. With that, I bid you all happy reading, and all the best in whatever you do! Cheers, good people!**

 **-Nano**


	24. Chapter 24 - At The End of the Tunnel

Chapter 24 – At The End of the Tunnel

Kara chuckled to herself as her boyfriend peeled himself off the floor with a groan.

"Need a break, Milo?"

He was so focused, however, that he completely missed her question. It was a matter of seconds before he was once again laid out on his back on the training mat, pushing himself laboriously upright.

 _We're an odd bunch_ , she commented mentally to Florence.

 _How do you mean, milady?_

Not even bothering with telepathy, Kara explained herself with a wry grin;

"Look at us, Flo. I bet 19 out of 20 guys, human or Pokémon, would take one look at us hanging out here, alone and available and _oh_ so beautiful", here she gave a joking flip of her hair, "and I'd have to ask you to use Psychic just to maintain our personal space."

 _Ah_ , the Gardevoir gave a demure nod, _I believe I do take your meaning, dear Kara. It seems our Milo is simply cut from a different cloth, as the saying goes._

As if on cue, the aforementioned Milo gave a yell and dashed in, managing at last to catch Drake with a flying left foot to the abdomen before a rough wing caught him in the side and he went down (again). The group was working in the Sunyshore Gym's training space, courtesy of the marvelously hospitable Volkner. Amaya, headphones on, was off on the other side of the space, observing what basically amounted to a full pitched battle between Leon and Terrus.

"Well", Kara answered her Embrace Pokémon, "I know Milo's different, but I meant Drake, too."

She felt Florence stiffen, "Flo, for the last time, I'm not telling anybody, I'm just saying. You can at least admit it to yourself, can't you?"

 _I…I admire his strength, I suppose. B-but there is nothing further to discuss!_

Kara rolled her eyes. It was a start, at least.

"Anyway", she gracefully moved the conversation along, "I guess we're not so normal, ourselves. I mean, most girls with a boyfriend like Milo would be downright paranoid."

 _Needlessly paranoid_ , added Florence, _Milo is loyal to a fault. I do believe he rather despises the thought of other young women attempting to pry him away from you._

Ordinarily, Kara would be training right alongside the others, but after the Snowpoint Invitational, her Rookie season as a Performer was officially over, and she was just waiting for that magic ticket to Kalos that would change her life one month after the upcoming Lily of the Valley Conference. So, here she was, watching Milo throw himself over and over again at his Garchomp, with more or less the same result each time.

"Ow", came his latest grunt, as he stood and wiped his face.

"Keep it up", called the Performer teasingly, "You've got him on the ropes, he'll go down any minute now!"

"Enough from the peanut gallery", he shot back with an exhausted grin, "Or I'll chase you down for a big sweat hug."

"Whoa, gross!" Kara shivered at the thought before laughing as Milo threw himself one last time at Drake…who once again swatted him aside without much difficulty.

"Urgh…Alright, fine", Milo put his hands up, "That's good for now."

Drake grunted, a victorious smirk on his face, though the outcome of their training bout was never really in question.

"Dinnertime, Ms. Peanut Gallery?" Milo asked.

"Only after you shower, Mr. Sweat Factory."

"Eh?" Milo looked down at his bare chest and arms, glistening with the signs of a good, long bit of training, "Oh. Right, yeah. I'll be right back. Can you let 'Maya know? She's probably hungry, too."

Kara nodded, and walked over to get her friend's attention.

"Finally", grunted Amaya, "Milo's done being a masochist?"

"Yeah", Kara rolled her eyes, "Points for dedication, I guess, but fighting a Garchomp never ends well."

After Milo was done cleaning up, they waited until a car came to pick them up.

"Good training?" Milo's father, Alexander, was inside. Milo's family was ecstatic to host him and his friends while they stayed in Sunyshore, and the three teenagers knew better than to turn down free room and board.

"Pretty good", nodded Milo, "But I could _really_ go for some food."

When they got back, they were greeted enthusiastically by Zoe, Milo's mother. She was thrilled beyond belief that her son was staying with them while they waited for Volkner to accept their challenge – he was currently occupied with teaching and with making repairs to the famous Sunyshore Lighthouse. They weren't overly concerned; they still had plenty of time to earn the last badge before the Conference brought an official end to their Rookie season.

Media coverage around their impending Gym battles was at an all-time high. Volkner's Gym team only lost, on average, a handful of times per season, and it had been over a decade since any Rookie beat him. The only people who beat the Gyms these days were established professionals looking to bolster their status amongst the Trainer community.

"Your team looking good, son?"

The group had just arrived back at the house.

"Yup", answered Milo with a grin, "Drake could probably sweep it if I let him, but I also want to give Aurora a piece of the action. Her new Ice tactics should make things interesting. Anything cool at the clinic today?"

Alexander worked at a local physical therapy center for injured Pokémon (and Trainers). He and his Feraligatr were seasoned veterans in their own right, and it was from his father that Milo had picked up his deep and abiding care for Pokémon so early in life.

The beaming father clapped his son's shoulder and settled into his favorite armchair.

"What kind of Ice tactics are you thinking of? That's one heck of a fragile type, especially against speed and power like Volkner has."

Just like that, with a gleam in his eye, Milo was off, explaining this and that, how one move should transition perfectly into another, unless Volkner had this trick move or that off-type ability…

It was the kind of conversation where Kara had learned to just nod and fix an easy smile on her face until Milo spun himself out of words. Alexander, however, was right there with him, nitpicking and questioning and approving every detail of every strategy.

"Now there's a beautiful sight for a mother", remarked Zoe to the Performer, "My boys getting all excited about their Pokémon."

"It really is heartwarming, isn't it, ma'am? Oh, can I help you with anything?"

Zoe didn't really _need_ help, but she appreciated the propriety of her son's girlfriend, and took it as an opportunity to get to know the lovely young lady. So, the household dissolved into pairs – Milo and his father went on and on and on about battling and tactics and whatever else, Kara and Zoe chatted amicably as they prepared a nice pasta dinner, and even Amaya was enjoying herself, playing quietly with young Myrian.

It was a wonder that Amaya, of all people, would be so captivated by the small girl, but then perhaps it wasn't such a surprise, after all. Myrian had met and loved the Twinleaf girl when she came alone to Sunyshore months previously, had seen her at her most vulnerable, and wasn't fooled for a second by her tough exterior. It made for a comical sight; the dead-faced young Trainer, headphones hanging about her neck, paraded a Skitty doll across the carpet as Myrian bounced a stuffed Buneary alongside it, singing happily to some internal melody as the two Pokémon dolls 'had a tea party'.

The golden moment stretched for a few minutes. However, it soon came crashing down in a big way. Alexander flipped on the television to watch the news;

"-reports of a massive cover up surrounding one of the biggest Rookies in years."

Three young heads snapped up to the television as the reporter elaborated, and a dramatic headline scrolled across in huge, red letters;

MILO A FRAUD? WEB OF LIES REVEALED.

Milo could feel the blood draining from his face as the woman's words filtered sluggishly through his brain;

"...Massive report coming from a well-known SBBN correspondent. What we know is that, within the last few hours, this correspondent has come forward with what appears to be evidence that Milo has manipulated or faked the vast majority of his star-studded Rookie campaign. Sinnoh News Nightly has assembled a panel to go through this evidence and give us an idea of just how massive this report really is. That breakdown and more is coming up next."

As the show went to a commercial break, Alexander fumbled with the remote before finding the mute button. Absolute silence ruled the household. The first to speak was Amaya.

"It's fake."

"Well, obviously!" Kara found her voice and was now practically frothing at the mouth, "That goes without saying! Anyone with half a brain knows Milo would _never_ do that! I mean-"

"Kara", came Milo's voice, small and heavy, "Please. I appreciate it, but let's keep watching for now, and see what 'evidence' they've got. Can someone call Jenks? We're going to need his help."

"On it", replied Amaya, already scrolling through her contacts to locate Jenks' information.

Young Myrian, eyes wide, curled up to her brother;

"Milo? Why do these meanie-heads think you cheated? You'd never cheat, right?"

He rested a calming hand on her soft brown pigtails as she wrapped her tender arms around his stomach;

"No, Myrian, I'd never cheat. Someone made up some lies about me."

As he was speaking, the house phone rang, and Zoe ran to press the button. It was Marcus.

"Hey, family", his voice was devoid of any real cheer, "Talk to me, what's the damage? Did any of you get any requests for comment?"

"No", replied Milo and his father simultaneously.

"Good", nodded Marcus, "That should help us refute all this sh-junk", he corrected himself as Myrian's young and impressionable face popped up;

"Marcus! Some bad people made up lies about our bro!"

"I saw that, Myrian", answered the Gym Leader calmly, "I'm going to try to help tell everyone that it's not the truth. I need to talk to Mom and Dad and Milo, okay?"

"O-okay. Grown-up stuff, right? Just make sure nobody else tells lies about Milo; our bro isn't a cheater."

"I'll make double extra sure, I promise. You need to make sure Milo and his friends don't get too sad, okay Myrian? It's a really important job, and Mom and Dad and I are all counting on you."

"I'll make double extra sure, too. Bye, Marcus!"

He waved to his little sister, and then immediately snapped back to serious mode.

"I assume someone's contacted Jenks?"

"Done", came Amaya's voice from back in the living room. Within seconds, the phone rang again, and the media manager's face popped up next to Marcus.

"Perfect, we're all here", began the journo quickly, "Milo – I know this is a big shock, and I need you not to panic. The most important thing right now is that you keep your appointment with Volkner tomorrow morning. No games, no experiments, don't worry about making it close or looking for a challenge, just crush him. No questions asked. Sweep him, if you can. You need the biggest win you can come up with."

"I – I can do that", nodded the young Trainer, "I'll just use Drake."

"Marcus", Jenks addressed the Leader, "I have a theory. This report came from Kierran Hogan, a guy I've known for a long time. This is nothing like him – the report has no fact-checking, no objectivity, and no professionalism. He's better than this. He even told me months ago that he's a big fan of Milo's battles. After what happened with Candice...well, I don't really think this is a coincidence, do you?"

"I get you", answered Marcus grimly, "I'll look into it on my end. Milo, no matter what you have to keep your head, okay? Don't ignore this, but don't let it get to you, either. Just go in tomorrow and thrash Volkner. Let your battling be your proof."

With that, the call ended, and not a moment too soon. The television commercial break was over, and the 'expert panel' was going over the 'evidence' against Milo. This panel consisted of some high-brow former pro-level Trainers, and...Volkner. Milo's brow creased as the Electric type Leader nodded along with the discussion;

"This report claims Milo's underhanded swipe at the Gym Circuit began early – records of a late-night meeting with Roark after that first Gym battle, and choosing to stay at the Eterna Gym instead of the Pokémon Center the day before his fight with Gardenia. Ladies and gentlemen, what does this tell you, first off?"

"Well", Volkner stepped in first, "If the Leaders themselves are involved, I'm inclined to doubt this report. It's shadowy and shaky enough as is, and to suggest that Roark and Gardenia would both collude with a random challenger to push him through the Gyms? I know my colleagues would never stoop to that."

"Hmm", one of the other panelists cautiously voiced an opinion, "In my experience, this could be the tip of the metaphorical iceberg. I hate to say it, but this feels like one of those 'where there's smoke, there's fire' situations."

"I tend to agree", said someone else, "it's not just Roark and Gardenia who are implicated here - we've got, let's see, under the table messages from Maylene via the Veilstone Nurse Joy. He used a rival's former Pokémon against Wake out of nowhere. His brother inexplicably gave him a six-on-one battle for the Shadow Badge. Heck, according to this, Candice actually went so far as to visit his hotel suite – _multiple times_ – at odd hours of the night. That's a lot of smoke to be nothing."

"...How?" Milo was incredulous, "How do they know all that? I mean...all those things actually did happen. Crap, this is going to look really bad…"

On the screen, Volkner was frowning, and once more leapt to the defense of his fellow Leaders;

"Pardon me for making this personal, but I would the logical next target, and I have never – not once – been contacted about helping push Milo through the Gyms by any illegitimate means. He'll fight me tomorrow morning, in fact, and I expect a tough fight against a highly qualified opponent."

"How do you account for everything that's already here, though?" A woman pressed him, leaning across the table to shoot the Sunyshore Leader an almost accusatory look. He didn't back down, staring straight back at her;

"Traveling Trainers often have contact with Leaders before and after their challenges, it's beyond common. I'd be more surprised if there was _no_ contact between Milo and any of these Leaders. Besides, I don't have to sit here and defend them. If you honestly think that the overwhelming majority of Sinnoh Leaders have simultaneously become corrupt and underhanded, then by all means bring them your questions and we'll sort this out _real_ quick."

"Okay", jumped in the news anchor nervously, acting as moderator, "Let's, ahem, let's move on for now. This report also raises questions about Milo's qualification for the upcoming Lily of the Valley Conference through the Iron Island tournament – oh! I beg your pardon; we're going to go now to live footage from Eterna, where Gardenia has been asked about her involvement in this alleged cover-up."

Sure enough, the camera cut to shaky footage of Gardenia storming down the sidewalk, visibly furious.

"Gardenia! Gardenia, can we get a reaction to the news about your involvement in the whole Milo affair? Does this have anything to do with your alleged relationship with his brother Marcus?"

The fiery Grass Leader whirled around and fixated the man with an absolute death glare, hissing her answer at him;

"You want a comment? You'll get a bit more than that. I've seen that piece of trash you're calling a report. Anyone who thinks that's even a little bit true is deluded."

"So", the reporter cut in, nervous but eager to get some juicy live action news, "You deny offering Milo housing before his Gym Challenge here in Eterna?"

"No, I don't deny it. Yes, Milo stayed at the Gym before his challenge, not the Center. You want to know why? I'll tell you – it's because _people like you_ were swarming our city's _only_ Pokémon Center waiting for him to show up. You think a 16-year old kid with one badge is ready for a media storm? Heck no! For the record, I was the one who went looking for Milo and Amaya, and _I_ offered to let them stay at my Gym. If you don't believe me, go ask Nurse Joy, she was far from pleased that a crowd of reporters was preventing her from _doing her job_ that day."

Abruptly, the camera switched back to the studio, where the panel's faces ranged from intrigued to uncomfortable and, in Volkner's case, livid. No doubt hungry for another fiery comment, the moderator dug in;

"Volkner, you seem less than pleased by Gardenia's comments – your thoughts?"

"Her comments?" He was quickly losing his composure, and the people seated next to him looked as though they were wishing for a bigger buffer zone as a rant came pouring out;

"Let me say right here and now that I have no problem with her comments – I'll gladly put the full weight of my trust and support behind my esteemed colleague Gardenia. What I'm not a fan of is a news crew ambushing a public figure in the street for an unsolicited interview, especially when they ask loaded questions about a bogus report that has no place on a major news network. While I'm at it, I'm ashamed of this media crowd that was apparently waiting to ambush Rookie Trainers at a Pokémon Center. That kind of thing is out of control and should never happen."

"Well", began a man at the other end of the panel, "Let's take a step back, here. I mean, we can debate the ethics of how to cover the news at a later date, but you're unquestionably taking Gardenia at her word while totally disregarding a news report from a trusted professional who has the same level of authority behind his words. Doesn't that seem a bit hypocritical?"

Volkner refused to back down, and the debate raged back and forth for several minutes more before the news segment ran out of time.

"Wow", said Amaya, seated around the TV with Kara and the rest of Milo's family, "Volkner really went to bat for you there."

"Yeah", Milo's heart was fluttering, "And Gardenia, too."

"It only makes sense", offered Milo's father, "After all, this is an attack on them just as much as you."

Thankfully, no more Leaders were ambushed with questions about the report. No further updates were forthcoming, so Milo went to bed that night feeling small and quite unsettled. He tossed and turned that night, and was grateful for the little sleep he got.

 **Kara**

 _If I was a fingernail chewer_ , she thought, _I'd have probably chewed straight through my fingers by now._

She sat, fidgeting and nervous, in one of the box sections of the Sunyshore Gym as a tired-looking Milo squared up against a fiery but grim Volkner.

As the news report had disseminated overnight and into the morning, public opinion had more or less split down the middle. A large faction of ardent Milo supporters denied it outright, and an equally large segment of Sinnoh battling fans began cynically reviewing all of Milo's publicly available battle footage, claiming things like "His battles all feel scripted" and "Leaders don't fight as hard against him". It was turning seemingly every online space into a veritable battleground of fierce opinions.

Defeating Volkner would not silence the critics, Kara knew. Instead, both sides would claim it as 'proof' of their opinion. One side would say that a big win against the toughest Leader in Sinnoh was 'irrefutable' proof of Milo's genuine skill (which it was). The other side would scoff and say that Volkner was clearly as dirty as the rest of the League, and all his bravado and bluster in the initial breaking news segment had been merely a poor attempt at misdirection.

Either way, Milo had been instructed by Jenks, Marcus, and his father to go in and hold nothing back.

 _Here we go_ , thought the nervous Performer as the battle began, _Just do it, Milo, come on…_

"Drake", called the Jubilife Trainer, "Show them we're for real."

A murmur swept through the crowd, which was significantly larger than it likely would have been one day ago. It was much harder to doubt Milo's magnificent team in person, and Drake was the perfect Pokémon to exemplify just how intimidating they could be.

Volkner's eyes narrowed, and he thought for a second before making his call;

"Hmm...I like it, Milo. But I've fought my share of Ground types. Luxray!"

 _He's leading strong_ , Milo instructed his Garchomp, _We can't afford to hold back here. All out from the get-go._

 _Heh_ , Drake had a dangerous smirk on his face, _Just watch me work._

"Luxray", called the Leader, "Get in there, and use Crunch!"

"Quick release, Drake!"

Like a flash, Drake disappeared, leaving nothing but the telltale hole in the floor to suggest what his plan was.

"It's Dig, Luxray! Watch out, and get go-"

It was already too late. Drake had perfected the art of speeding up his Dig attack, once Milo had pointed out that the move's greatest weakness was that it was easily predicted and avoided by experienced Trainers.

Before Luxray could react, it was slammed from below and sent tumbling to one side as Drake shot out like a rocket.

"Add a Dragon Rush on the way down!"

"No! Luxray, dodge and try for an Ice Fang!"

Drake's enthusiasm worked against him this time. As he fell, he was so determined to get the quick KO that he couldn't react fast enough when his opponent scrambled away. He hit the ground hard and roared in pain when Luxray leapt in for an Ice Fang follow-up.

 _Damn, I hate ice! That freakin' hurts!_

 _Make him pay_ , Milo saw an opportunity to turn the tables, _he's still close!_

"Dual Chop, Dragon Breath!"

With no exit strategy at the ready, Luxray was stuck, and took the first Dragon move head on. The Dual Chop sent the Gleam Eyes Pokémon sprawling, where he was helpless to avoid the mighty Dragon Breath that ripped across the field soon after. Just like that, the first round was over.

"Luxray is unable to continue! Volkner, your second Pokémon!"

 _What a recovery_ , thought Volkner, _This kid really is as intense as they all say. I love it! I guess I put Raichu in now to rack up some damage and then count on Electivire to sweep it..._

Up in the stands, Amaya frowned;

"Drake took a hit."

"It was still a good win, though", countered Kara hopefully.

Amaya wasn't having it, "No way should Milo have taken damage there. He's definitely shaken up. Any other day he gets a perfect win out of that."

"I still think he's got this in the bag", insisted the Performer, as Volkner's Raichu began squaring up cautiously with the ever-aggressive Drake.

"Oh he'll win", shrugged 'The Hammer', "The question is _how_ he's winning. It should be easier."

Down on the field, the evidence supported Amaya's worried observation. Raichu was doing everything in its power and using every ounce of its considerable speed to avoid presenting a clean target to Milo's Mach Pokémon, only striking back occasionally with a well-placed Grass Knot or Iron Tail.

"He's trying to wear him down", came a groan from Milo's father, "Volkner's already setting up Drake to go down to his sweeper, probably an Electivire."

Kara bit her lip. She'd learned a lot about the art and anatomy of a high-level battle over the past months, but most of the mind games and meta-battling still went over her head. The important thing was that Milo was winning, but he wasn't as firmly in control as it would seem.

"Come on, Milo!" She cheered, and half pleaded, "Show them what you've got!"

A frustrated and dangerous Drake was exerting far more effort than he expected to deal with this troublesome Raichu. He hadn't taken any major hits, but the small ones were starting to rack up, which was infuriating to the proud Garchomp.

Finally, Volkner seemed to decide it was time to flip a switch;

"Okay, flash in, Raichu! Brick Break!"

"There it is", called Milo quickly, "Dragon Claw!"

The two battlers traded quick hits, as both attacks landed. Drake growled but stayed up, while Raichu, knowing he'd done his job perfectly, let himself stay down.

"Garchomp is the winner", announced the referee, "Volkner, your final Pokémon!"

"Here we go, Electivire! It's all up to you!"

As soon as the Thunderbolt Pokémon emerged, Milo's eyes narrowed. This thing looked like it packed a real punch. Still, based on its body stripe pattern, it wasn't Volkner's elite level Electivire…

"Time to dig deep, Drake! One more to go! Down!"

As soon as Drake dug into the ground, Volkner recognized the trick and yelled;

"Ice Punch straight down!"

It was a perfect and brutal counter. Drake emerged below Electivire, just as the Leader expected. Instead of the satisfying impact of a clean hit, he was met with a powerful, doubly super effective Ice Punch to the face.

"GGGRRAAAA!"

Milo's Mach Pokémon screeched in agony at the massive damage, but he was _not_ going down.

"Blitz him, Drake! Show me everything!"

Only too happy to lower the boom, a downright murderous Drake came streaking across the field with a Dragon Rush, followed immediately by a Dragon Claw and Iron Head. Eyes wide, Volkner tried to assist his sweeper;

"Electivire, Ice Punch him! Knock him away!"

Another furious Ice Punch came in, and Drake was sent spinning. Weak from two previous rounds of battle and now two huge Ice hits from Electivire, Drake at last had nothing left to give. He went down, still glaring daggers at the thoroughly damaged Electivire.

Stunned, Milo recalled his fallen Garchomp with a grimace. He knew he wasn't entirely himself. He knew he had to close this out, and fast.

"Aurora", he called, "We need you, girl!"

"Aha", Volkner raised an eyebrow, "Your Eevee has evolved at last. Glaceon, eh? I'm intrigued. Let's see what you've got for us. Come on, Electivire, two more wins!"

"Aurora, Hail!"

Just like that, the Leader's excited face fell as he recognized the tactics Milo was going for.

"Oh boy...I should've known. Good play, Milo, but don't think you'll get a free win out of your fancy strategy!"

"Milo was excited about this in training", recalled Kara, "but what's so fancy about using Hail?"

"Well", Alexander was thrilled at his son's genius instinct, "Glaceon are notoriously difficult to track down once they get going. He's gone from a mind gamer to an escape artist. Great job, son!"

Just as Milo's father had predicted, Aurora had long since disappeared into the snowy conditions of Hail, leaving a dumbfounded Electivire spinning in circles looking for her, slowly taking damage from the bits of ice swirling about the battlefield.

"Okay, Electivire", Volkner made an attempt to recover the situation, "Fire Punch and Low Kick, just go wild!"

"Take your time, Aurora", Milo warned, "Find a chance for Blizzard."

It took a few seconds for the Glaceon to work her way safely around to the back of the wildly charging Electivire, but she found the window she needed. Before anyone could react, a furious Blizzard sent Volkner's Thunderbolt Pokémon crashing to the floor. He never even saw it coming.

"YES!" Kara was out of her seat cheering already, as the referee confirmed the result. Milo had earned the Beacon Badge and completed the Gym Challenge in his Rookie year.

After the stress of the last twelve hours, Milo felt huge waves of relief wash over him, and he ran out to congratulate Aurora.

"Oh, that was _brilliant_ , girl! You were perfect!"

 _Haha!_ Milo's Glaceon was equally pleased with her own performance, _He was all 'oh no, where's that Glaceon' and I was just like 'BAM'! Blizzard to the face! Well, more like his back, but, yeah!_

"Very nice indeed", came Volkner's voice. Milo turned to see the Leader beaming down at him with an earnest face;

"Hey, don't listen to the crap in the news, Milo. You earned this."

"Volkner", Milo stood to shake the Leader's hand and accept his badge, "I saw that interview panel thing yesterday. Thanks for sticking up for me. That meant a lot."

"Absolutely", nodded Volkner with a sense of finality, "I know you'd never pull a thing like that, and we Trainers have to stick up for one another. Those vultures will do anything for a juicy story."

With that, the Sunyshore Leader turned to applaud the crowd before raising Milo's arm in triumph like some kind of boxing champion. It was a show of unity, one of faith and defiance that brought a massive roar of approval from most of the crowd.

Volkner's support didn't end there, either. Milo was surprised and humbled when the Leader followed him into the post-battle interview and picked up right where he'd left off when questions about 'that' news report came flying in.

"As it happens", said the Leader, "I was the one pulling tricks today. That was not my Gym-level Electivire. Just like Candice, I decided that a standard Gym battle was too easy for this remarkable young Trainer. That was my second strongest Electivire, he's been training personally with my Elite Electivire for some time now. Milo adjusted brilliantly and defeated me fair and square all the same."

"Milo", came the next question, "Some of our analysts have suggested that you seemed off your game today. Your response to this?"

"Well, I felt off", admitted the young man, "Maybe because it's hard to sleep when your name gets dragged through the mud on national TV out of nowhere."

"You act as if this report was a surprise. Were you not contacted for comment before it was published?"

"No", responded the Trainer with no small amount of bitterness, "Neither I nor anyone connected to me was asked to comment on or verify anything published in that report. It was 100% a surprise to all of us."

"Milo, you've made an image for yourself as someone who is pretty even-keeled off the battlefield – how much would you say this whole issue is getting to you?"

Frowning now, the young Trainer resituated himself in his seat and answered, "I don't really care about my own name. What I can't stand is that my team, the Pokémon I love and care about, have been disgraced and insulted publicly. They've worked too hard to be disrespected like this. That's what really gets me about this whole stupid thing."

Thankfully, the assembled reporter's seemed to decide it was unwise to push either Volkner or Milo any further on the issue, and the remaining questions were all related to the battle. Volkner had nothing but glowing praise for the young man, and after twenty minutes, he ended the interview session and left to prepare for his upcoming fight with Amaya.

As he waited in the stands for his friend's battle, Milo scrolled anxiously through several news headlines. He was relieved to see that the majority of Sinnoh's Gym Leaders had followed the example of Volkner and Gardenia, casting as much doubt and outrage at the malicious report as they could. Those Leaders like Roark and Maylene who had been blatantly accused of collusion were only too happy to explain the purpose behind their communications with Milo;

"I met Milo after our challenge to congratulate him on something else entirely", Roark wrote on his Gym's official website, "I asked him to care for an Egg he rescued from poachers in the Oreburgh Gate cave. That Egg is now his famous Lucario, and should be a source of pride for all of Oreburgh."

Maylene was a guest on a popular talk show, where she was asked a similar question and answered quite simply;

"Eh, I went ahead and scheduled his battle when I heard they were in town, and I had to let them know somehow, right? I knew they'd end up at the Center, so it just made sense, no big deal. I do it all the time."

There were more, but Milo looked up to see that Amaya's Gym battle was about to start. With her signature look – somehow both bored and fierce – the Twinleaf prodigy stared down the last barrier to her entry into the Lily of the Valley Conference.

"Alright, bring it!" Volkner was amped up as usual, "Luxray, time to shine!"

"Terrus."

Volkner nodded slowly as Amaya's massive Torterra emerged, "More ground types, huh? Good thing I've had plenty of time to scout you out."

Amaya wasn't in the mood for mind games or banter. She was ready to get this done and prove her quality to the world. One more win and she would be deserving of her place in the proud history of Twinleaf Trainers. She narrowed her eyes and got straight to business.

"Earth Power."

"Move, Luxray! Then come around for an Ice Fang!"

"Keep him away", Amaya smirked, "Energy Ball!"

Luxray's eyes shot open, but he couldn't pull off in time, and took the attack face first.

"Get in again, Luxray! Fast!"

Volkner was hoping to catch Amaya unprepared for a quick counterattack, but Terrus was alert to the danger, and took it upon himself to blast the Gleam Eyes Pokémon with another Energy Ball.

"Good, Terrus", Amaya settled on a strategy, crossing her arms over her chest as she said, "Watch him carefully. Don't let him in."

A pause ensued, as Luxray shook off the two big hits and struggled to his feet.

"Hmm", Volkner's mind was whirring, "So it's going to be like that. Makes sense, but I've seen it before. Luxray, Double Kick!"

"Away, Terrus! Razor Leaf!"

The Sunyshore Leader's bright eyes flashed triumphantly;

"Break off, and use Ice Fang!"

 _Damn!_ Amaya grimaced, _That's a Milo play. A classic bait and switch._

Terrus could do nothing to counter the dangerous move, and roared aloud. Fortunately, Amaya recovered quickly from the nasty shock of being caught out;

"Earthquake!"

"Whoa, come on Luxray! You still with me?"

The display of raw power from the small girl's Torterra brought cheers from the assembled crowd. 'The Hammer' was proving herself worthy of that nickname. Luxray, of course, stood no chance against a Ground move that large from a Pokémon as strong as Terrus. The round was over.

"That was vintage 'Maya", Milo grinned and applauded his friend, "Who needs strategy when you can just tank the damage and hit back as hard as possible?"

"She's about as Twinleaf as it gets", nodded Alexander, "Gritty, determined, and powerful. Nothing fancy, just do the job. I guess 'The Hammer' is an apt nickname."

On the field, Amaya decided to play it cautiously, and switched Terrus out for Granite as Volkner called on his Raichu. Milo, meanwhile, intervened on her behalf to his father;

"Well, there's more to her than _only_ that. This whole counterattacking thing is new. She knows how to tweak her style to find the big hits. She can be proactive when she has to."

"Looks like she'll need to be", replied Alexander, nodding towards the battle.

Volkner's Raichu was running laps around Granite, who couldn't find the time or space for his biggest Ground moves because he was being peppered by Grass Knot and Brick Break attacks. They weren't the biggest hits he'd taken, but the daunting Steelix had already been hit a handful of times, and was increasingly frustrated as Amaya looked to pin down the Leaders' Mouse Pokémon.

"Switch it up, Granite! Rock Throw!"

With a roar, Granite began chucking boulders around the field anywhere there was half a chance he might catch Raichu.

"Focus up, Raichu!"

Volkner's eyes were burning with excitement – this was the kind of battle he _lived_ for. It was battles like this one that truly made his heart pound like nothing else. In the blink of an eye, Amaya had flipped the script on him, and the relentless half-aimed Rock Throw attacks quickly caught Raichu unprepared. As adrenaline flooded through him, Volkner made an instinctive adjustment;

"Tighten up! Quick Attack in close for a Brick Break!"

"Keep him off you, Granite! Iron Tail!"

It was a clever move, but Volkner had spent hours watching footage of Amaya's team. He knew exactly how she dealt with opponents who tried to close in on her bigger fighters.

"Now, jump! Time it, Raichu, you can still get in!"

Milo stood, breathless and wide-eyed, as Granite swung a vicious Iron Tail towards the small Electric type. With determination written on its features, Raichu jumped, and just managed to get over the attack. Granite was caught out, and the Brick Break was yet another big hit to one of Granite's weaker joints. The massive Steelix gave a screech of pain before toppling over, unconscious.

"That's…exactly how I would've fought Granite", admitted the JPTA graduate from the stands.

"Volkner's strength has always been his instinct", said his father, "He's broken through many a foolproof defense in his day, and he's one of the best in the world at battling from a type disadvantage."

Amaya was stunned. How could she have lost Granite to a Gym level Raichu? Volkner really was the toughest Leader in the region.

 _I still got this_ , she told herself, _This is why I rested Terrus._

"Alright", she brought her starter back to the field, "We need you again, big guy."

Terrus was still showing the effects of his bout against Luxray, but he was more than ready to go another round to bring home the win for his Trainer.

"On the offensive, Terrus", Amaya grabbed the initiative, "Energy Ball, keep him moving."

"Get going, Raichu!"

It became a game of target practice for Terrus, played against an incredibly capable moving target. Volkner's teaching instincts kicked in as he thought to himself;

 _Let's test her adaptability. If she falls for the same trick again, then I guess The Hammer is all brawn after all._

"Duck and get in, Raichu! Iron Tail!"

"There it is, Terrus! Rock Tomb!"

Raichu was too close to dodge the barrage of rocks that piled on for huge damage; Amaya had adapted perfectly, and caught Volkner flatfooted.

"Earthquake!"

Another huge Ground move put paid to the Leader's second fighter, and the referee made the call;

"Raichu is unable to continue! Volkner, your third Pokémon!"

"Haha", Volkner actually laughed at this turn of events, "That was brilliant! Man, I have _missed_ this! Let's do it, Electivire!"

"It's dangerous, Terrus. Lead Earthquake!"

"Jump, Electivire! Land on Torterra! Ice Punch and Fire Punch, as much as you can!"

Terrus had launched his Earthquake with gusto, and as alert as he was, he couldn't cancel it nearly fast enough. Electivire came flying in to land on the Continent Pokémon's unprotected back, landing one, two, three Ice Punches before Amaya could recover;

"Terrus! Leaf Storm, Frenzy Plant, anything! Get him off you!"

"Wow", Milo shook his head in amazement, "Volkner is crazy smart. That's the strategy I use against Earthquake with Blaze."

"That's probably where he got the idea", answered Alexander with a nod, "He's had the benefit of studying you two for months, now."

Down on the field, Electivire had landed at least four big punches on Amaya's starter before a desperate Leaf Storm at last shook him away. Terrus could feel himself blacking out, and as he toppled over he roared and let off a Return blast that sent Volkner's Thunderbolt crashing violently into the wall.

"Torterra is unable to battle", called the referee. He paused and looked at the other side of the field, where Volkner's sweeper was peeling itself laboriously off the ground, "Electivire is ready to continue – challenger, your final Pokémon!"

Amaya looked ready to spit fire, so furious was she at having lost both her big Ground types to an Electric team. Without a second thought, almost by pure muscle memory, her hand snapped to the Pokéball at the front of her belt. With a face harder than steel, she called;

"Coral, wrap this up!"

Volkner paused, eyebrow raised;

"Milotic? Really? Hmm…Unexpected. Then again, perhaps not, all things considered. All right, one more round! Winner takes all! This is what it's about, right here!"

Electivire fed off his Trainer's energy; bruised and battered though he was from his fight with Terrus, he came sprinting back to take his spot on the field, staring down the imposing Tender Pokémon with practiced confidence.

"Coral, I need it all! Scald, Twister! Get ready for more!"

In a single moment, the pace of battle skyrocketed. Electivire jumped instinctively out of the way of Scald, and Volkner took a few seconds to regain control;

"Up, Electivire! Now left! Don't lose it, get in there! Wild Charge around, look for an opening for Discharge!"

The Thunderbolt Pokémon was still reeling from the speed and power of Coral's attacks, but he wasn't out of the woods yet.

"Now Bulldoze, Coral!"

The Hammer was ruthless. She and her famous Milotic read Volkner's dodge perfectly, and smashed the Electric sweeper with a brutal Bulldoze.

"Follow with Hydro Pump!"

With no time even to stand all the way up, Electivire flung himself desperately sideways from where he'd landed, avoiding the Hydro Pump by mere inches.

"Wild Charge, Electivire! Just get away!"

"Keep him running, Coral! Dragon Pulse!"

Another massive range move came blasting in, barely behind the speedy and frantic Electivire. Now, however, the ever-crafty Volkner saw a tiny window;

"Dodge in! Thunderpunch!"

Coral was already preparing yet another big move, but Electivire had the speed advantage, and the Milotic cried aloud as she took quite a bit of damage.

"Dragon Tail! Bulldoze!"

The relentless Twinleaf Trainer rattled off her commands automatically. It was triflingly easy to punish opponents who countered Coral by getting in close. Sure enough, the final fast and furious round was over with that second Bulldoze.

Amaya stood, breathing just as heavily as Coral, as the referee made the call;

"Electivire is unable to battle! The victory goes to Amaya the challenger!"

Cheers exploded through the crowd as Volkner returned his fallen Thunderbolt Pokémon and crossed the field. The referee passed him a microphone on his way over, and his voice rang out loud and clear;

"What a fantastic battle! Amaya of Twinleaf, it is my distinct pleasure to award you", he paused to fish a badge out of his inside jacket pocket, "the eighth and final official Gym badge of the Sinnoh Pokémon League! Having earned this Beacon Badge, I also declare you qualified to enter the prestigious…Lily of the Valley Conference!"

The noise inside the stadium swelled, and as Amaya accepted the badge, a chant rose;

"HAM-MER! HAM-MER! HAM-MER!"

Milo clapped along, ecstatic at his friend's success, before commenting to Kara;

"I didn't get a big announcement and a cheer…"

"Well", the Performer shot back, "You had already qualified. It was just a Gym battle for you."

"True", he nodded, "Oh well, doesn't matter. Woo, way to go, 'Maya!"

They filed out of their seats along with the rest of the crowd – Milo received quite a few enthusiastic claps on the back from the many people who recognized him – and paused outside to watch part of Amaya's post-battle interview live on one of the Gym lobby's many screens.

"Amaya, you're the first Rookie to qualify for the Conference via the Gym Circuit in five years; can we get your initial reaction to all this?"

"I…I don't…I'm still processing it", answered Amaya breathlessly.

"It's funny", Kara smiled, "She never talks more than she has to, but at the same time I've never seen her actually speechless before."

Eventually, of course, the Twinleaf prodigy regained her typical sassy confidence, and the assembled reporters got their fair share of headline-worthy soundbites.

The next few hours seemed to rush by for both young Trainers. The excitement of actually finishing the Gym Circuit brought a welcome relief to Milo; he was at last able to forget, even temporarily, about the shocking accusations that had been publicly made against him.

Both battles were enthusiastically rehashed as soon as the group got back to Milo's family's house;

"…so I was totally freaking out when Drake went down, but I just got this feeling, you know? Like I _knew_ Aurora was going to make easy work of that Electivire. I just absolutely _knew_ it. Then when she…"

"…and I should've known he'd have something for Ground types, it's _the_ counter for an Electric team. I still can't believe I was dumb enough to go for two Earthquakes in a row, like he wouldn't have a plan for the second one…"

Even Milo's father got in on the fun;

"…I knew he had you figured; you fit the Twinleaf mold to a tee. You adapted so fast, though, I have to admit I was amazed when you thought to…"

Once Zoe was able to calm them all down enough to sit still, they all sat down to a delicious homemade dinner, and little Myrian proudly presented a cake that 'she had helped with'. Zoe had, of course, made this as well, and Milo's little sister had only helped apply the icing on the top, but nobody was going to burst her proud bubble of happiness. The cake was a delicious chocolate one, and the icing on top said, in an awkward scribble,

You Win!

Once dessert was over, Milo led his two travelling companions up through his room to the attic and out onto the roof of their small house.

As they stepped carefully out into the late evening air, with a cool breeze gently passing over the tops of the buildings around them, Milo sighed with a contented smile;

"I used to come up here with Marcus when I was really little. We'd imagine ourselves hitting the big time, battling at Lily of the Valley or Mt. Silver or the Indigo Plateau, or wherever else. Then when I got to visit back here from the JPTA he'd come up here with me and tell me all about how his career was going and I just…"

He broke off as his reminiscences overtook his mind;

"It was pure gold to me as a kid. I would listen to him talk and talk…for hours…"

They sat on the sloping shingled roof, and looked out over Sunyshore City as it drifted into its evening rhythms. As a silence settled over the trio, it truly felt as though their hearts all beat with the same energy, their minds overcome as one with the same sense of wonder and disbelief.

"Damn", said Amaya at last, "This is real."

"Hard to believe", nodded Kara as a car horn blared far off on the streets below, "You two have all your badges, and I'll be in Kalos a month after the Conference. Seems so…you know?"

"I get you", Milo gazed out at the faraway neon lights of Volkner's Gym; the shining center of the city's bustling downtown, "It feels like it can't be happening, but…here it is. We did it, you guys."

There were another few minutes of silence as each of them tried to come to grips with their own accomplishments.

"I'll never get used to that look when people see me", chuckled Amaya.

"That always feels so weird", Milo cracked a grin himself as he leaned back to look up into the darkening sky, "Like they're seeing someone else. Someone really cool and famous – but it's actually just me."

His Twinleaf companion just nodded silently in agreement as Kara settled herself next to him. With every breath they took, each of the three felt some measure of nervous energy, of leftover adrenaline, leave their system. It was a familiar feeling, coming down from the high of winning a big match or a Showcase. This time, however, it was the last of its kind. The next one, they knew, would be a totally different beast. There was now nothing, not one single thing, between them and the holy grail of Sinnoh battling; the Lily of the Valley Conference.

"Six weeks", said Amaya quietly, her arms wrapped around the knees curled into her chest.

"Six weeks", Milo confirmed it.

 **Marcus**

Far off to the north, in the shopping district of Veilstone, Milo's older brother stood outside on the sidewalk, staring up at one of the many loft buildings. The hood of his jacket was up to hide his face. Veilstone didn't seem to care that it was nighttime – the city was just as hyperactive as ever, with people bustling here, there, and everywhere. Marcus took a deep breath to set himself.

"You good?" Jenks stood next to him, his brow furrowed in concern.

"I'm good", asserted the Dark type expert, "Let's go in."

A nod passed between them. Marcus stepped up to the residential building and flashed a card at the door. It beeped quietly and the two men stepped into the building, crossing quickly across the lobby to the elevator.

"Number 402", said Jenks.

"I remember", Marcus replied shortly, poking the button. Not another word passed between them as they rode the bumpy elevator up to the building's fourth floor. In just a minute they were standing at the door of apartment number 402. Marcus poked a button on his belt, and one of his off-type Pokémon emerged – a Medicham.

"Be ready", he instructed the Meditate Pokémon, "Just like we discussed."

 _I understand_ , she replied coolly, _I won't fail you._

Marcus nodded to Jenks, who said;

"This better work, Marcus."

With that, the journalist cleared his throat and stepped up to the door. He knocked sharply – once, twice, thrice…

"Kierran? Kierran, it's me! Robert!"

A stocky balding man with square glasses answered the door cautiously. The moment he could, Marcus grabbed ahold of the door and force it open. At the sight of the Leader, Kierran Hogan – the man behind the slanderous news report – backtracked and began blubbering in a panic;

"Wh-what is this? Y-you! You're here! Please, please don't – don't do anything to me, it wasn't me! I swear I didn't-"

"Medicham", said the Hearthome Leader.

The half-Psychic Pokémon stepped forward and extended a hand, expecting to find a partial Psychic hold similar to the one Florence had removed from Candice. After a second, the Psychic Pokémon frowned.

 _There is no hold on this man_ , relayed Medicham telepathically to her Trainer, _His mind is entirely his own._

"Kierran", Jenks stepped forward, "We know you were…coerced into publishing that report against Milo. We're trying to make things right for him. You've been influenced and this Pokémon is here to get you back to yourself, alright? We just need to-"

"He's already clean", growled Marcus.

"I – I…" Kierran gulped, "I don't know how you know about that, but…I can explain."

"You had better", the Leader was in no mood for tricks or games. His stare was downright murderous. Jenks stepped between the two as Kierran edged away from the dangerous Dark master.

"Ehe…I was influenced, like you said. I can't explain it, but I just _had_ to expose Milo as a fraud, even though I knew it was all falsified. I – I couldn't make myself stop. It was like a pressure in my brain was controlling me."

"So why are you clean now?" Marcus demanded.

"I – well, whatever it was, it disappeared the moment I put the report out. It was like flipping a switch; the instant it was out, I was myself again. Just like that."

Marcus was silent at this, but now it was Jenks who stepped forward with a frown and a crease of his brow;

"That was over 24 hours ago, Kierran", began the journo softly, "If you've been free of the mental hold for that long…why is the report still out there?"

Kierran looked up, fear in his eyes. He opened his mouth, but couldn't seem to find any words. Jenks continued, his voice rising;

"You published a story to major news outlets, with the full weight of your experience and authority behind it, _knowing_ it was false. You did so under duress, but you've been free to publicly retract it now for over a day. Why haven't you?"

"Robert, I", the man stuttered, terrified, "I can't, I just can't. How can I admit to something like that? How can I just come out and say one of my biggest reports ever is a total fraud?"

"Easy", Jenks shot back, "You just do it. Journalistic integrity _demands_ you do the right thing here, Kierran. For Milo's sake, you have to come forward and admit it was fake."

"For Milo's sake? Robert, what about _my_ sake? What happens to me when that kind of crap hits the fan? I'll be through – finished! My reputation will be trashed within the hour; I will lose _everything_ if I come forward."

"My brother could very well lose his career to scandal if you _don't_!" Marcus was furious at this man's cowardice.

"He's young", answered Kierran, "He can get through this. It'll blow over when I don't follow it up. Everyone deals with bad press eventually, he'll be fine."

"Take the damn report back!"

"I can't do that!"

Marcus made to confront the man, but Jenks stopped him with an outstretched arm;

"Don't, Marcus. If he won't do it, we'll have to fix this without him. If he's not going to retract it, we'll poke it so full of holes that everyone can see how rotten it is."

Struggling to control his breathing, Marcus returned his Medicham and whirled about, storming out of the room.

"Kierran", Jenks said with a sigh, "I respected you. As a colleague and as a friend…I thought you were better than this. I hope you change your mind."

One last time, the scared reporter whispered, "I…I can't."

 **Milo**

The group remained in Sunyshore for two weeks, training and training and training. The long-term fallout from Kierran Hogan's ill-fated report had been thoroughly damage-controlled by Jenks, who had made it his personal mission to prove Milo's innocence in every possible way. All the same, the young man had been forced to watch, helpless, as half of Sinnoh solidified its assertion that he was a fraud, no matter what evidence to the contrary was presented. He'd grown a tough skin about it, but it took its toll nonetheless.

At long last, four weeks before the long-awaited Conference, the three young Rookies found themselves seated in the first class section of a plane from Sunyshore all the way to Lily Island.

"While we fly", Jenks turned his seat around to face Milo and Amaya, "I want to share something with the two of you, mostly for transparency, and also so you're aware of what's at stake. I want to talk about next season."

"Next season?" Milo quickly put the pieces together, "Do you mean keeping an eye out for scouts? I guess we should be thinking about semi-pro deals pretty soon. Though I'm not sure what region would want to sign a supposed cheater."

The media manager answered immediately, "Milo, anyone with half a brain knows you're innocent. Any league official who's seen your battles would gladly back you up. They'll be tripping over themselves to sign you up."

"Yeah, if we haven't caught any attention by now", added Amaya, "I don't know what else we'd have to do."

"Check this out", said Jenks with a smirk.

From his briefcase, he produced two neatly organized stacks of manila folders. He plopped one pile in front of each of the Rookie Trainers and sat back, waiting.

Milo quickly removed the rubber band and began flipping through the files he'd been given.

 _This one's labeled 'Johto'_ , he noticed, _And here's a Unova folder…and Kalos…and Hoenn…_

His curiosity piqued, he popped open the Hoenn folder and the first thing he noticed was a handwritten note, written so neatly it was hard to tell it wasn't typed;

 _Dear Milo,_

 _I would imagine that this is one of several such letters you will have received, but please allow me to impress upon you the sincerity of my words. Your first year as a Trainer has been nothing short of breathtaking, and I believe Hoenn is the perfect place for you to continue your development._

 _Your unique style has an aesthetic quality that many fans here in Hoenn would love. The Hoenn League is home to many tough Trainers who could provide you regular competition against challenging opponents. There is a certain finesse about Hoenn's battling that would suit you much better than a more old-fashioned league, like Kanto or Johto, not to mention the variety in battle styles. I would love to see your unique sense of intuition applied to double battling, or even the odd Contest battle._

 _I could go on, but I'll conclude by saying once more that I believe you and the Hoenn region would both benefit should you decide to sign with us for the coming battle season. If you have any further questions, I would be glad to answer them; you have only to ask!_

 _Best regards;_

– _Steven Stone, Hoenn Champion_

Milo was dumbstruck as he put the note down. A personal letter to him! From Steven Stone, no less! He thumbed through the rest of the Hoenn file, and found a more formal invitation from the Hoenn League detailing a two-year contract, pending his favorable performance at the upcoming Conference.

It simply didn't compute. He – Milo – was getting offers for official League contracts from major regional leagues! Unsure of just what to think, he breezed through the rest of the files. As Steven had predicted, several other Champions had seen fit to include a personal note. The Kalos note was written in formal-looking script with plenty of flourish;

 _Milo,_

 _I'll not bore you by adding unnecessarily to the massive pile of praise being heaped on you – all deserved, might I note – but instead, let me jump right in and tell you what the Kalos region has to offer for an extraordinary talent such as yourself._

 _Our League has long been proud of the intellectual, tactical battles that are our hallmark. We have learned to dispense with the flamboyant style of Hoenn while also shying away from the borderline brutality of the power-first Johto League. We have the best combination of talent, class, and strength to be found outside Sinnoh._

 _No doubt Cynthia will try to entice you with a junior contract to remain where you are, but let me advise you that playing second fiddle to the entire professional Sinnoh roster would be a shameful waste of your prodigious talent. I urge you to consider Kalos as the place to continue your remarkable growth as a Trainer without losing the exposure and momentum you've gained as a breakout Rookie star._

 _Sincerely yours – Diantha, Kalos League Champion_

Numbly, Milo picked up the third note, which was written in a much messier scrawl;

 _Milo!_

 _Let me throw in my shameless plug for the Unova region;_

 _You seem like the kind of guy who's not afraid to break rank, to defy traditions. Well, hey! That's what we specialize in here at the Unova League! It's a perfect chance for you to get a clean slate and try all kinds of new things! New Pokémon, new battling styles, and we do it with plenty of flair!_

 _Give it some time, and hit me up if you've got questions, but seriously; think about it. Don't you want to try something totally new?_

 _– Alder, Unova Champ_

Each of these notes, as well as the Johto file, was accompanied by the same caveat; whatever the offer was, it was always 'pending a favorable performance at the upcoming Lily of the Valley Conference'. A quick glance to his right told him that Amaya was just as stunned as he was.

"As I said", grinned Jenks proudly, "I doubt you'll have to seek out attention from the scouts."

"I really hadn't thought about next season", admitted Amaya, "That's a tough choice. Is there no Sinnoh offer?"

"Not yet", conceded Jenks, "Don't let that get you down, though. Sinnoh is by far the most difficult roster to break into. You'll see there's no Kanto offer, either; that's not a reflection on you so much as the fact that they don't take well to non-Kanto Trainers representing their region. It's narrow-minded, but hey, what can you do."

"I'm so proud of you two!" Kara was positively glowing. She remembered very well the thrill of receiving a prestigious offer such as this, "Now the three super Rookies can be the three super professionals!"

"Jenks", Milo was breathless, "What do you think? I mean, all of these Leagues sound great; how do we even begin to make that choice?"

"For now", replied the journo, "don't think too hard about it. Read over the info, and then put it on the back burner, let your brain chew on it and get a feel for your personal preference. Besides, in the short term this means you both _need_ to put in a solid showing at this Conference, so focus on that first."

"Right", Milo was forcing himself to breathe normally as he stared his future in the face, "Just…focus on the Conference. Our last big thing as Rookies, and then…then who knows what."

Despite his penchant for falling asleep on planes, Milo got no shuteye whatsoever the whole rest of the way to Lily Island.

"Hey", Kara put a soft hand on his shoulder as they began gathering their bags once the flight landed, "Milo? Don't think yourself into the ground here, okay? This is one of those times where tunnel vision can be a good thing. Just get through the Conference and everything else will work itself out."

"We got this", Amaya added, "It's a damn big thing to not think about, but none of that happens if we don't nail this Conference. Let's go. We're Milo and The Hammer, we got this."

Milo nodded and set his face. Suddenly, this tournament wasn't just a celebration of his breakout season. Suddenly his future career was riding on this Conference. As he stepped off the plane and onto the hallowed ground of Lily Island, he braced his mind with one thought;

 _This is real. Let's do it._

 **Author's Notes:**

 **This chapter is kind of a buildup to the craziness that will be the Conference. That being said, we are officially in the homestretch! It's no spoiler to admit that the Conference will take at least a couple chapters, and will be the finale of Milo and the Blue Umbreon.**

 **I have zero plans to stop writing or take any extended hiatus or whatever. I have at least one full sequel planned for Milo, as well as several unrelated stories featuring other characters. One such story, which you can find on my profile, is Reclaiming Sinnoh: The Underground Master. I have two additional stories that are unpublished but thoroughly planned. Here's the question; what do you want to see next? Should I keep chugging with Milo and work on that sequel (Working title: Milo and the Big Six) or switch gears and finish Reclaiming Sinnoh? Or, would you rather see something entirely new?**

 **As a teaser, the working titles on the unpublished ones are 'Savage Isles: War of the Titan Master' and 'Ehrida Cold Fire – The Four Fiends'. If you want more info, PM me and I'd be happy to provide a synopsis of any of these stories. Anyway, yeah! Review, or PM me, and let me know what you're most interested in! all opinions welcome (including yours)!**

 **Also, I'd love to hear your thoughts on this lead-in chapter to the Conference! I've got plenty of twists and turns to come, the last few chapters will be chock full of fireworks and emotional roller coasters. Finally, THANK YOU for reading this story! It means a lot to me that people actually want to read what I've produced.**

 **Ciao, good people! Happy reading!**

 **-Nano**


	25. Chapter 25 - Revelations

Milo Chapter 25 – Revelations

Under cover of the soft blanket of darkness, four figures crept along the rooftops of Lily City's rundown western district. They moved swiftly and smoothly, with practiced ease. Against the starry night sky, their inky black silhouettes were practically invisible to any but the most observant. Two humans and two Pokémon dashed grimly along.

Suddenly, the lead figure stopped at the edge of a roof, holding up one fist. The others all followed suit, and all four flattened themselves down on the roof, invisible now to the naked eye. As they crawled to the edge and peered down at the building across the alley, one of them said in a barely audible whisper;

"Anything you see; call it out."

The building they were surveilling had two lit windows, and four pairs of eyes scrutinized these with laser sharp focus.

"PsyForce Tribe grunts in uniform. Clear Psychic activity."

"Means they're not trying very hard to keep hidden", was the reply, "So it's not a general outpost. They're here for a specific reason."

 _Both Pokémon and humans_ , noted one of the Pokémon on the rooftop.

"Pokémon and humans together. Likely means it's a full operation, not just spying or preventative infiltration."

"Agreed", answered the other watcher, "This...is worth worrying about. I say we set up, then we go back – make a real plan and do this right."

"Are you sure?" hissed the second human, "We're perfectly prepped for a raid; why not right now? It's just grunts. We can take them out quick and easy."

"No", came the firm reply, "Too many unknowns – too many factors. We make our report, and come back when we're sure. Here, everyone take a monitor. One goes here, the other three on the other sides of the building."

Making no more noise than a shadow, the four figures split up. The first human stayed and placed a strange-looking device on the rooftop. The device was about apple-sized, and shaped like a cube. In the middle of it was an odd black and white crystal. Several sensors and wires were hooked up to it, and the whole thing was encased in weather proof glass. It was fixed in place by a Grimer-infused adhesive.

Once this was done, the figure, face covered below the eyes by a black face guard bearing a white insignia, looked up. The others wouldn't be long. Sure enough, the first of the two Pokémon came rushing back quickly, blue rings giving off a soft, eerie glow in the dim moonlight.

 _It's done._

The other two followed quickly, and soon the four figures were off. They left the way they had come; slipping off in absolute silence above the dark streets of Lily City. Inside the building, none of the Psychic users or their Pokémon were any the wiser; they had no idea that the hunters had just become the hunted.

 **Milo**

"Whew, finally", exclaimed Milo as he ripped off his Order of Shadows hood and face mask, "That thing is freaking stuffy."

"I won't argue that", agreed Marcus, as he ran a hand through his own recently freed hair.

"I still think we could've taken them down."

Marcus sighed. This was probably inevitable, but it was best to head off Milo's reckless idea before it gained any traction;

"Look, bro. Let's say we did that. All the info we had to go on was a ten minute scouting op", Marcus' voice resounded around the dark walls of the empty warehouse they'd used as a staging point, "There could be literally anything waiting in there that we didn't notice, and an ambush would be too big a risk."

Milo wouldn't back down. It was unlike him, but this time fury overtook his logical faculties. He was pissed beyond belief that the Tribe seemed to be able to pull and pinch their secret strings to manipulate his life at will. He growled and shot back at his brother;

"What could they possibly have that we couldn't handle? We have three blessings between us, not to mention Dark Aura, plus Azura and Absol. We should just take them out now, while we have the element of surprise!"

"Down, boy", came a low, crooning female voice from the dark interior of the warehouse. Both brothers stopped dead and four heads snapped to the direction of the voice. A familiar figure stepped out of the deep shadows, her silvery hair floating down her back.

"Sh-Shadow Master Karen", Marcus managed a respectful bow of the head despite his shock at seeing her, and Milo followed suit.

The woman chuckled, and gave a small grin as she approached Milo;

"I appreciate your fervor, dear Milo", she reached out and patted the side of the young Trainer's face, "In this case, though, Marcus is right. We can't risk one of the Order's most valuable assets on a blind raid."

 _She's rather creepy, really_ , noted Azura.

"Milo", mused the Dark type Elite, "have you stopped to consider why the Tribe is doing what they're doing?"

"Uh...They want to hurt me? However they can?"

"Hmph. A trifling guess, but not entirely wrong."

"Shadow Master", interrupted Marcus, "I'm all for explanations, but is now really the time for this?"

"Oh, Marcus", Karen just laughed and gave a dismissive hand wave, "You worry too much. Your adorable little brother deserves to know exactly what he's caught up in."

The Gym Leader scowled, but receded into a huffy silence.

"Now, Milo, you've been told of how the Order began, yes?"

Milo's brow furrowed. He remembered the story, of course, but how was that relevant to him?

"Uh, sure...We were outcasts because people were freaked out by Dark Aura. We did the whole evil bandit thing for a while until Ziron showed up and we got our act together. Then we took down the corrupt Aura Guardians, and we've been secretly focusing on the Tribe and the League since then. That's more or less it, right?"

"Definitely less", smirked Karen, "Ziron didn't show up randomly and decide 'hey let's be good guys'. He was just as much an evil bandit as the rest until he got shocked out of it."

"Shocked out of it? Shocked...how? Literally, or figuratively?"

Marcus at last spoke, his voice low, "Figuratively. The Order's darkest day produced its finest ever Master."

"Uh...that's ominous…"

Karen's smug smirk disappeared in an instant;

"Years after the founding of the Order, at the height of our thieving days, we got _very_ ambitious. We set our sights on a town, a small farming village that worshipped the triad of supernatural elements; Psychic, Dark, and Ghost. Ziron was a young Shadow at the time, and he'd told nobody that this town was actually his hometown – he had run away rather than expose his Dark Aura."

"Why'd he run away?" Milo couldn't help himself, "I mean, if they worshipped Dark types, wouldn't they be cool with Dark Aura?"

"Ah, so there is a brain behind that handsome little face", Karen's smile was again rather creepy, but thankfully she moved on rather than dwell on her odd comment;

"Good catch. We don't know all the details, but it seems that a human having control over Dark powers was considered blasphemy. At any rate, what matters is that Ziron left that town and his family rather than face the consequences."

Marcus took over, his voice low and serious;

"The Order targeted the town, just to prove they could. They kidnapped two of the town's children and demanded control over the whole village and a hefty tribute on a regular basis. Rather than lie down and obey, the townsfolk mounted a rescue operation and, against all odds, it worked. In reality, Ziron had a hand in that, as well. He went behind the Order's back to help return the kids to the village."

"He couldn't bear to watch his family be abused, after all", said Karen, "The two kids they used as leverage were Ziron's younger siblings – twins; a boy and a girl."

Here she paused, expecting Milo to have some comment. Strangely, he just stood there, silent. The Shadow Master raised an eyebrow, but soon continued the story;

"As you might imagine, the Order didn't take too kindly to the rescue. The darkest day in our history was when we took revenge on the village. Too afraid to disobey orders, Ziron helped burn his own hometown to the ground."

"Wait, what?" Milo spluttered, "They – _we_ – burned it down? The whole _village_?"

"Yes", Marcus picked up again, "In one night, no less. Eventually the town was rebuilt, but it never fully recovered; the scars were too deep. You've seen it, Milo. You've been to Celestic Town."

"No way…" Milo's eyes shot wide open, "The Order _burned down_ Celestic? That's insane!"

"It's true", Karen affirmed, "We're not done yet, though, so shut up and listen like a good boy. Now, after the razing of Celestic, Ziron knew he couldn't keep going with the Order as it was. He considered running away, but in the end he decided to change the Order from within. That's when we began to look more like the Order of Shadows you know today. As it turns out, though, the damage was already done. Ziron's two younger siblings were among the only survivors. Needless to say, they didn't exactly appreciate Dark types very much after that, and each of them turned to one of the other elements in the triad."

Milo's eyes narrowed as his brain hit top speed. He could tell where this was headed, incredible though it was. Karen laid it out;

"The brother devoted himself to Psychic types, and tried to control whatever he could. He was determined that if he was in control of everything, nobody could ever put him through the kind of pain and fear he had experienced at the hands of the Order. Today we call him Psyfer, the leader of the PsyForce Tribe."

"Aeon was his twin", Milo guessed, "She devoted herself to Ghost types, right?"

Karen nodded, "She hit the other extreme. She decided that if such destruction was possible, then the only thing that the world was capable of was absolute chaos. Thus, the only way to save herself from further pain and anguish was to be an agent of chaos instead of its helpless victim."

"Whoa…"

Milo was, needless to say, lost for words. This was really heavy stuff.

"Let me ask your next question", prompted Marcus, "What all does this have to do with you? The answer comes from your blessings."

"The blessings? But...I'm not the only one who has those, right? They don't target you guys like this, do they?"

"Not just the blessings in general", answered Marcus, "Specifically _your_ blessings. You have two of them, and you've gotten _very_ good at using them. The last person who could access and control more than one was Ziron himself. The instant you did that, in their minds, you became Ziron incarnate."

"That – well, it sounds cool, but I'm guessing it's bad news for me. Right?"

"Very", answered the Gym Leader vigorously, "You absolutely demolished the Spirit League's backbone at Celestic the first time you unleashed those two blessings, otherwise they'd still be gunning for you. The PsyForce Tribe is more subtle, but their recent attacks have given us a clue as to how desperate they are. They're flailing, acting without full consideration, lashing out at any half-brained scheme they can think of to get at you."

"So that's why they sent Candice after me? And then the report?"

"Yes", confirmed Marcus, "But, looking back now that we know more, it started before that. They first tried to trap you in Eterna. Remember when they made a seemingly random power play? They knew Gardenia would respond, and that I would be called in. It looks like they were betting on me calling you in as backup. Two Mind Queens might have been enough to overwhelm you before you could trigger the blessings, but they didn't count on Ark Monty interfering."

Milo was shaken at this; "You mean…the entire operation in Eterna was a failed trap? A trap they set for... _me_?"

Marcus nodded, then elaborated;

"After that, Psyfer started getting truly desperate, and making mistakes. What you did in Eterna nearly robbed him of two of his best servants, and it reminded him of just how afraid he was of you...and of Ziron. To him, you're basically one and the same. In this case, that's actually good, in a weird way. He's so freaked out right now that he hasn't taken the time to come up with a more effective plan."

"Umm", Milo frowned, "I'd say making half of Sinnoh think I'm a cheater is pretty darn effective."

"Milo, think for a second", Marcus shook his head, "The Tribe is out to take you down in any possible way. If they took the time to consider it, they'd realize they could probably get to you by going after Amaya, or Kara. Heck, even Mom and Dad, or Myrian would be fair game. I wouldn't put it past them to attack me or Dee to lure you into a confrontation. Luckily for us, they're so blinded by fear and irrational hate that they have tunnel vision. You're the only thing in their sights."

"Damn. So...what do we do now?"

"Now we've caught them in the act", Karen's grin was truly evil, "We can do to them exactly what we did to the League outside Celestic."

"Okay", nodded the Rookie, "but how? They're in the middle of a city, here."

"I have a plan", said Karen carefully, "It's very risky, I won't lie – especially for you, Milo – but it should guarantee they get what's coming to them."

Milo was nervous, but then a series of memories flashed by him;

He remembered the gaunt faces of the people he and Marcus had rescued from the Floaroma Windworks. He remembered the horror of the Spirit League going after Kara. He remembered Marcus' terrified face when they had to fly to Eterna and rescue Gardenia. He remembered the pain etched into Ark Monty's brave grimace as the Mind Queens and their cronies tried to bludgeon him into the ground. He remembered Myrian's sad eyes when he'd been accused of cheating. The more he was targeted, it seemed, the more people around him suffered.

 _These people won't stop unless we stop them_ , he knew.

 _Milo_ , Azura spoke up for the first time since their grim conversation had begun, _Your team is with you. No matter what, we'll protect you. We'll protect our friends._

"I'll do it", he said, "Whatever it takes, I'm in."

"Excellent", Karen's face lit up, "Here's the plan…"

 **Amaya**

 _Damn_ , she thought to herself, _This sucks. There's no perfect answer._

She was seated in her dim hotel room, three files laid out in front of her.

 _Johto, Sinnoh, or Kalos…_

The Sinnoh offer had come in a few days after Jenks had delivered the others. It wasn't a full professional contract, but a 'junior' contract. Essentially, Sinnoh wanted to keep her around, but not give her a full-fledged spot on their pro roster.

"They just don't want anyone _else_ to get me", she muttered, "Still, it'd be cool to stay with my home region and earn my spot eventually."

She sighed, knowing that plan was more sentimental than practical. She grimaced, hesitated, then pushed the Sinnoh file away. That left just two. She'd been sitting on the bed staring at the closed files for the better part of three hours at this point.

Her room was silent. Kara was taking the opportunity to get some general training in with her team while they had no Showcases to prepare for, and Milo was off doing one of his superhero wannabe things with Marcus. Amaya should've been training, she knew, but this decision was driving her mad. It had come down to this now, Johto or Kalos, and the choice was pulling her world apart. She sat there on the hotel bed in the dark room, legs crossed, hunched over, head in her hands, cursing the fact that she had to pick only one.

"It's my head versus my heart", she said to herself, "Johto is ideal for me. It's focused on raw power, and I have plenty of that. They like Trainers who aren't afraid of anyone, who can make a statement. That's literally me."

She was spot on. Johto had long been labeled as 'old-fashioned' for this reason. Johto-based professionals fit more or less the same mold. They were tough, rough around the edges, and their go-to plan in any battle was to let raw strength carry the day. Kanto was much the same way, but…well, the fans there bordered on xenophobic. It had been years since a non-Kanto Trainer had signed a full contract with that League.

"Then there's Kalos", Amaya frowned, "All flashy and fancy. They might as well call it the Milo League, he's perfect for them. He's got the easiest decision ever; all he has to do is follow Kara."

Kalos was the definition of finesse. Amaya was almost surprised they'd even extended her an offer; she was so far removed from the vibe of the region. Milo, on the other hand, was the very definition of a Kalos Trainer. His mind games and tricks and strategies would absolutely amaze them.

"He's going to blow their minds", she chuckled to herself, "I give it two seasons before he's their headliner. Damn, it'd be so great to stay together…."

This was the crux of the issue. Logic told her she should choose Johto, but…that would mean splitting away from her two best friends, and she couldn't bring herself to make that call. They were the dream team, the all-conquering Rookie trio. How could she break that up just to sign for a League that was a 'better fit' for her?

"Kalos could do with someone like me to shake them up a bit", she reasoned to herself, "I can be the bite to their bark…"

Still, the voice of reason inside her was screaming that she was never going to single-handedly change an entire regional League. If she went to Kalos, she'd never be as successful as she could be elsewhere.

She sat there debating back and forth with herself for another hour without moving before finally throwing the files onto a table and stepping away.

"I can't do this right now. I just…I should focus on the Conference first. Damn it…"

All in all, that night was a rough one for both Rookie Trainers. Milo tossed and turned, trying to maintain his confidence as the very real possibility of taking on the PsyForce Tribe loomed large just as the Conference was about to get started. Amaya had a hard time sleeping as well, still spinning in circles in her mind. She should go to Johto, but she wanted to go to Kalos. Johto...Kalos...the Tribe...the Conference….

Fortunately, the next day produced few surprises. With less than one week left until the Conference, it was a welcome relief to have just one day go according to plan. With the Conference approaching, the 'perfect day' was now thoroughly regimented. Jenks had put them on a strict schedule with regards to any activity that could be made public. He was adamant that this was crunch time for Milo and Amaya's public image.

Breakfast was early (but not too early) after which they found an open practice field and did some hard training (but not too hard). The goal was to give the idea to anyone watching that they were preparing diligently for the Conference – otherwise they could be labeled as arrogant for not taking it seriously. At the same time, if they were perceived as trying 'too hard', they could be construed as desperate Rookies who knew they had no chance and were doing everything they could to close the gap. Even when they did train in public spaces, it wasn't very productive. They had been advised to train at about 80%, so as to disguise the full potential of their teams.

Of course, once their prescribed public training hours were complete (they began jokingly referring to these as their office hours) they had a space quietly reserved in the basement of their hotel where they could do the training they really needed to do.

"Looking good", nodded Marcus, standing opposite his younger brother in this private training space, "How do you feel about it? It's different from what you normally do."

Milo had been working on Aurora's new Ice tactics, using Hail as a camouflage before launching any attacks.

"Feels good", nodded the JPTA grad, "It's just a different rhythm than the others, which is an adjustment on my part. But yeah", he knelt down to pet his tired, but appreciative Glaceon behind the ears, "I think it'll be great. I'd be more worried if I was up against the real professionals, but we should have just enough wiggle room to pull it off."

"Hey, don't discount these folks", warned Marcus, "I mean, you've got some premier semi-pros left in the pool. They're more than capable of punishing small mistakes."

In an effort to make the Lily of the Valley Conference more accessible to new Trainers, the rules had been altered several seasons previously to disqualify anybody who had already won the Conference from entering again. Thus, most of Sinnoh's biggest Trainers were no longer eligible, having already won their title. The fear, initially, was that this would make the Conference less popular, but instead the opposite effect was observed. The influx of newer Trainers made the entire event less predictable and more prone to turnover, upsets, and shocks. If anything, the Lily of the Valley Conference was a bigger deal than it had ever been.

"Oh, believe me", Milo assured his older sibling, "I'm not taking anything for granted. I'm just saying, I'd be a _lot_ more scared if this was the Master's Conference."

"I get you", nodded Marcus, "Besides, this is a slow year all around. I think people are giving the Conference a break to focus on the World Challenge. These days that's probably a more viable way to get good exposure."

It was late now, and the two brothers packed up their things and returned their Pokémon, making their way back up to Milo's room to hang out for a bit.

"Yeah. Hey, how far do you think you'll be able to get in the Challenge this year?"

"We'll see", shrugged Marcus. The World Challenge was by far the biggest event in the world for Pokémon battling. Every Trainer from every city and region in the world was eligible to enter as long as they had a valid license and some Pokémon. It happened every other year, and the qualification tournaments were rapidly approaching.

"I mean, I'll make it out of the Hearthome round, barring some kind of catastrophe", mused the Gym Leader, "Then it'll come down to the draw. If I can avoid Flint and Volkner in the Sinnoh Finals, I should have a clear shot at a deep tournament run."

"Really? That's it", Milo laughed incredulously, "That's all you're afraid of out of the entire Sinnoh region is Flint and Volkner?"

"Well, yeah", Marcus was still very nonchalant, "I mean, Cynthia could crush me, but she doesn't join the party until later, and the only other person who's probably stronger than me right now is Lucian. Usually, I'd say don't count on type, but my team is literally immune to all of his favorite strategies."

"Wow", Milo felt like a kid again, awestruck by his older brother, "Fair enough. That's crazy to think about, though. I mean, you're literally one of the top five Trainers in Sinnoh, and you're just chatting about it like it's nothing."

"Heh", Marcus couldn't help a chuckle, "Well, top five is ambitious, but I'd put myself at a comfortable pick for the top ten, at least. Let me give you some advice, little bro."

He paused, and took a second to make sure he worded this correctly;

"When you get near the top...well, it's a lot like climbing a tall tree or something. The best way to keep going without getting freaked out is to look up, not down. In my case, I don't say to myself 'wow, I'm stronger than 85% of Trainers in the world'. I say to myself, 'I need to keep going, because I have a list of such and such people who are still stronger than me'. See what I mean?"

Milo turned the advice over in his head.

"Makes sense", he said at last, "So...For me it'd be like saying 'I should make sure I can beat Amaya because she's as strong as me', right?"

"Exactly", Marcus was relieved to see his words were well understood, "That's a much better motivator than saying 'only semi-pros and Rookies are here, and I'm better than almost all of them'. At the top levels of Pokémon battling, having a strong mindset is just as important as having a strong team. Remember; if you aren't getting better, you're getting worse. There's no middle ground."

With that last golden nugget of Trainer wisdom, Marcus left his younger brother alone for the night. Milo did his best to take the advice to heart, and redoubled his efforts over the next few days. He had to be careful not to overexert his team so close to the looming Conference, but he pushed them as far as he dared, and they never complained. This tournament meant just as much to them as it did to him, after all.

The days continued to slip by in this manner. Early start, 'office hour' training until early afternoon, real training in the evenings, get to bed on time. The media surrounding the two breakout stars swirled and grew as the time passed. Others joined them, too, now that the event was nearly come. Damion, who had beaten Candice eventually, never quite got through Volkner. Nevertheless, he was able to take the last set of qualification exams and qualify that way. Elsewhere, Nova (Jet's former Trainer) had managed five badges before she, too, relented and qualified via the entrance exams. With all the added attention and new faces around Lily Island, the 'public' training sessions became mostly a series of practice battles against fellow Conference entrants.

These battles, too, were heavily regulated. Per official League rules, they were not allowed to battle any more than 3 on 3 matches. This was intended to prevent people from using these practice battles to gain an unfair knowledge advantage over their potential opponents.

Three days before the Conference, Milo was doing his office hours at a battle park just a few blocks north of the great, gleaming Lily Stadium. He was about to start a 2 on 2 practice battle against a man in his thirties named Evan, who claimed to be an 'Eevee line specialist'.

"Ready over there?" Evan called across to Milo, who grinned excitedly back;

"Ready as I'll ever be! Let's kick it off! Blaze, you're in!"

"I'll start with Tide", Evan released a Vaporeon.

 _Hmm, this should be a good one_ , Milo's brain hit battle speed, and information zipped through his mind like lightning, _Vaporeon has the obvious type advantage, and it's a ranged fighter with the special attack to back it up and the mobility to dodge if needed._

"Okay, Blaze! Heat Wave, let's make him move!"

"Be direct here, Tide", Evan countered, "Go for a Hydro Pump!"

Blaze's instincts had served him well. He had sprinted to one side immediately after launching the Heat Wave, and was safely out of the way of Hydro Pump. Milo nodded approvingly and decided to go with the flow;

"Quick Attack around, then Double Team and Brick Break."

Evan's Vaporeon had survived the ineffective Heat Wave without much trouble, and the Eevee specialist countered quickly;

"Water Pulse, Tide! On your right!"

"Break off, Blaze! Momentum!"

It wasn't the clearest of instructions, but Blaze got the idea. Instead of turning inwards to land Brick Break, Milo's Infernape used the speed he'd built to continue across the face of the wide-range Water Pulse, escaping by the narrowest of margins.

"Now Water Gun, Tide! Lead him!"

 _What a play_ , thought Milo for a split second, _How do I…_

Then it came to him;

"Drop! Low Kick!"

Evan's eyes shot wide open as the Flame Pokémon ducked into a neat roll, all of two inches underneath the perfectly aimed Water Gun. Before he could react, a white-furred foot shot out and brought the veteran Vaporeon to the ground.

"Stop, STOP! Tide, return!"

With a rueful smile, Evan explained himself as he recalled the Bubble Jet Pokémon;

"No need to go all out here, we know how that was going to end, right?"

"Fair enough", nodded Milo.

 _Aww, come on!_

Blaze wasn't pleased – he would rather have closed out his win.

 _Easy, pal. You had him beaten to rights, and this isn't supposed to be a full battle. That's a veteran move on his part._

"I guess I'll switch as well", called the Rookie, "Your call this round, Evan."

No matter what Evan called, Milo's hand was already hovering over Azura's Pokéball as Evan made his second round pick;

"Ferno, let's go!"

Milo froze.

 _...Ferno? I know that name! It can't be-_

Sure enough, a magnificent Flareon burst onto the field with a loud cry.

A million thoughts screamed through Milo's brain in that instant, and it took every inch of self-control in his body to wrench his hand away and not release his shiny Umbreon.

"Milo?" Evan noticed his pause, "You alright over there?"

"I – I'm fine. It's just – where did you...Never mind. I'll ask after the battle. Let's, uh", he at last recovered himself slightly, though he was still reeling internally, "Let's turn the tables. Jet, show them a real type advantage."

 _Jet_ , called Milo urgently as his Floatzel took the field, _This is going to be mostly you, I need some emergency thinking time._

 _Eh? Whatever you say, man...All good?_

 _Yeah, I'm good, I just – I know that Flareon, I think, and I need to figure it out ASAP._

 _Okay, you got it. I'll handle him._

As Jet took off unbidden, Milo reached back into the recesses of his mind, sifting through memories as fast as he could.

 _Ferno...Ferno...Why do I know that name? It has something to do with Azura, I know…_

He was barely paying attention as Sunny Day was cancelled by a well-timed Aqua Jet from his aptly named Floatzel.

After ten seconds of furious thought, it occurred to him. The story his Umbreon had told him, way back in Oreburgh…

What was it she'd said...She had heard her mom call out when she was hiding under the tree...

"Who's there? Who is it? Oh! Oh, dear Arceus, Ferno it's you, thank goodness!"

 _That's...that isn't possible! Azura saw her parents die, she was THERE! This can't be happening. I...I need to win this as fast as possible and ask Evan away from everyone watching._

There were a few dozen people gathered around, as usual when Milo or Amaya trained on a public field. They were a mix of fans, fellow Trainers, and the occasional reporter. Not people Milo wanted around to discuss such a potentially sensitive topic.

His focus snapped back to the battle. This Flareon was a wily one, and was keeping Jet largely at bay. He was doing so by preempting Jet's favored Water moves at all costs, limiting him to smaller, quicker hits that were much more survivable.

"Jet", called Milo, taking an active hand in the round at last, "Give him the two-step. Hydro Pump."

This was a combination move they'd just invented recently. Milo hadn't wanted to reveal it in training, but this situation had just become extremely important.

 _Hell yes! Let's dance, flame boy!_

Jet's Quick Attack brought him flashing around to Ferno's right side. There Milo's Sea Weasel paused and took a big breath, mouth wide as if he were charging his Hydro Pump.

"Cancel it", called Evan again, "Ember!"

"Now, Jet!"

A second Quick Attack took Jet back around, just as Ferno's Ember flew harmlessly past him. Unable to react in time, the Flame Pokémon could only brace himself as the real Hydro Pump racked him for huge damage.

"Whew, that's one heck of a move, Milo!"

Evan good-naturedly returned Ferno and crossed the field to shake hands with his young opponent;

"You'll go far in this tournament, kid. Mark my words."

Milo stepped forward, mind racing as he met the Eevee specialist in the middle of the field;

"Listen, Evan. Can we talk somewhere? I, uh, need to take a break anyway, and, umm...I wanted to ask you about – about, uh, the chip missing from Tide's ear."

Evan raised an eyebrow curiously at the young man, but Milo quickly mouthed the word 'please', and Evan began to understand his intent.

"Ah, certainly! There's a nice cafe just a couple blocks away, seems like a great opportunity for a good chat over coffee with a fellow Trainer."

Disappointment rippled through the onlookers as Milo left the field. On his way out, he motioned with his head to Kara, who was seated on a bench watching the proceedings with passing interest. Brows furrowed, the Performer got up and followed quickly.

"Hi, Evan", she introduced herself briefly, "I'm Kara, I'm with Milo. Uh, is everything okay, Milo?"

"I could ask the same", said the older man, "As glad as I am that you were observant enough to notice Tide's chipped ear, I know that's not what this is about. You almost lost it there when I sent out Ferno."

"Evan", Milo asked carefully, "How did you get to be an Eevee specialist? I mean, it seems oddly specific."

"Well, it's actually quite a story", responded the middle-aged man with a grin, "I've always been the wandering type, you see, and I'm a bit of a do-gooder."

His wiry body confirmed this; Evan was moderately tall and thin as could be. His face had a rugged brightness to it that made him stand out.

"Before I get into that, though, can I ask where we're actually headed?"

"Oh, uh, yeah", Milo was definitely off, and neither Kara nor Evan could quite fathom why he was being so skittish and urgent all of a sudden, "Can we go to my hotel? There's a private training space there. I just – I have a theory, and if I'm right I think this should be kind of a private thing."

Evan nodded slowly, and launched into his story;

"Hmm, okay. I'll play along, Milo. Anyway – becoming an Eevee specialist was never my intent. In fact, my first Pokémon was a Ralts that became my Gallade; Valu. I've always had a restless spirit, so I made my way from home in the Hoenn region all the way out to Kalos. I was doing the whole travelling Trainer bit over there when I happened across a Pokémon smuggling ring."

"Smugglers?" Milo's heart quickened, "Like, Pokémon poachers – that kind of thing?"

"The very same", nodded Evan grimly as the group arrived at the hotel and proceeded down to the private training area, "As soon as I found them, I knew we couldn't just turn tail. Those captured Pokémon needed help, and by golly I was going to do _something_."

"Good for you", growled Milo, "I _hate_ when people like that abuse Pokémon."

"You and me both, Milo", responded Evan with the same conviction, "You and me both. Anyway, this particular group was in between raids, and had only two Pokémon at the time. There was a Sylveon there that was doing its best to protect the other one – a young Eevee. I busted them out. Valu and I decimated their camp, but I had no idea how to care for two Pokémon as maltreated and injured as those two were."

"It's hard to know anything in that kind of situation", offered Kara gently, "Nobody's really ready for a thing like that."

"You're right, miss Kara", Evan picked the story up grimly, "I've never been more scared than I was then. As a Trainer, I did the only thing I could think of. I carefully captured the Eevee and Sylveon and got them to a Pokémon Center as fast as possible. I believe it was Cyllage City. Luckily, their wounds weren't life-threatening, and they recovered. While I waited on them, Nurse Joy told me that Eevee are among the most highly sought after Pokémon on the black market. They are rarer than most Pokémon, and their variety of evolutions make them incredibly valuable to wealthy buyers."

"Ugh", Milo shuddered, "That just makes me sick. How could someone _do_ that?"

Reaching for his belt, he released Azura, who felt his anger and nestled close to him.

"Anyway", he asked, "You said you kept the Sylveon and the Eevee?"

 _Azura_ , he added mentally, _This man apparently rescues Eevee-line Pokémon. He's an Eevee specialist._

 _That's very touching_ , she replied.

The shiny Umbreon settled in, as Evan continued with a smile, "That was the beginning for me – the Eevee I rescued that day later became Tide, who you just fought. Since then I've busted up at least a handful of smuggling rings that dealt in poached Eevee-line Pokémon. Most recently, actually, I was here in Sinnoh when I rescued the Flareon you battled – Ferno."

Azura jumped up in an instant, and her voice exploded into Milo's brain;

 _FERNO? Milo, did he just say Ferno? That's my dad, Milo! Ferno was my Daddy, I have to see him! Tell this man, tell him! Milo, PLEASE!_

"Is...something wrong?" Evan looked nervously at Azura, who was visibly frantic.

"Th-this is what I was wondering about", Milo could barely speak himself, "Could you bring out Ferno? Please? I think...well, you'll see."

Azura stood stock still, now, her chest heaving. Hesitantly, Evan reached to his belt and poked the button on one of his Pokéballs. Out came the still-tired Ferno, looking curiously about. Even Milo and Kara stood breathless as Azura leapt, seemingly in slow motion, towards the Flame Pokémon.

 _DADDY! DADDY, IT'S YOU! I – I thought you were dead, I thought...I...Oh, DADDY!_

Ferno the Flareon, however, looked only bewildered, and Azura stepped back, her voice small and afraid;

 _D-Daddy? Do you...remember me? I-it's your Eva…_

As Azura used her old Eevee name for the first time in many months, Ferno's face at last melted first into disbelief and then straight into tears. Now it was he who leapt forward to embrace and nuzzle his lost daughter. Milo felt Azura connect her mind to his, and a strong male voice filtered through;

 _My daughter! I don't believe it, this can't be happening! I thought we had lost you forever. Oh, my Eva, my Eva, my Eva...You're here, you're really here…_

Milo sank to his knees, overcome with emotion as tears gathered in his own eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder – Kara's.

"Milo?" The Performer asked softly, "What is all this?"

"That's...Evan, you rescued Azura's father. Did you find Ferno in the woods outside Veilstone? Gassed by a gang of well-armed poachers?"

Evan's face went slack at the question.

"Impossible. How did you…? Oh, but that means…! Ah, Psyonne!"

He fumbled at his belt, reaching for another Pokémon. Within seconds, an Espeon emerged.

 _MOMMA!_ Azura leapt forward, and Ferno delivered the shocking news;

 _Psyonne, my dearest, it's our Eva! She's really here, our Eva has found us again after all this time!_

 _Eva…? EVA? Impossible! Oh, my daughter, how I've missed you! We thought you had been taken, that the human poachers had found you! Oh, Eva, Eva…_

A hush fell over those present, human and Pokémon alike. The reunited family stood in a close-knit huddle in the middle, all in tears at this impossible coincidence. Evan eventually told his side of the story in a hushed voice;

"I don't...I can't believe this. You're spot on, Milo. I found Ferno and Psyonne outside Veilstone, nearly dead from the gas the poachers had used. I had to capture them; they were too weak for me to treat on the spot. When they recovered, Psyonne told me all about their daughter – Eva, the shiny Eevee. We – we all assumed she had been captured…"

"She ran away", said Milo, "That night, she waited under the tree as she was told, and the poachers never found her. She saw Ferno and Psyonne lying on the ground, out cold, and...and she was so sure they were dead."

As they watched, Azura's parents stepped back to admire her new form. Psyonne had the presence of mind to project their conversation telepathically to all those present;

 _My dear, you've become a marvelous Umbreon_ , said Ferno, _Is this young man your Trainer? I'm so proud of you, Eva – ah, but you aren't Eva any more, are you?_

 _No, Daddy_ , Azura cooed softly, _I'm Azura now. Th-this is Milo, he's been taking care of me and helping me get stronger. H-he's the best human I've ever met._

Milo's face flushed at the unexpected and sincere praise from his first-ever Pokémon, but he was still too overcome with emotion and disbelief to say anything.

 _Oh, Ev- I mean, Azura_ , Psyonne caught herself, _You should meet someone. Evan? Could we introduce Nea?_

"Oh!" Evan started, as though he couldn't believe he hadn't already thought of this, "Of course! She wouldn't know...here we are."

He fished around for a moment before releasing an Eevee. It looked particularly young, and immediately curled up against Psyonne's leg, looking nervously around at the new faces;

 _Azura,_ began Ferno with a proud, fatherly smile, _This young kit is Nea. She is your younger sister._

 _My...my sister?_ Azura was incredulous, and took a hesitant step towards the younger Pokémon, who looked up at her with the same confusion and wonder on her small, brown face.

 _B-big Sis?_ Nea's voice sounded not unlike Aurora, before she evolved, though with perhaps a bit less exuberance, _You're...not gone?_

 _No_ , Azura got down low to be at her new sibling's eye level, _No, I'm really here. It's an honor to meet you, little Nea. Welcome to the f-family._

Evan leaned over to confide in Milo, "That little Eevee has played a huge part in their recovery process, you know. After losing Eva, they blamed themselves. Psyonne in particular was extremely distraught. They didn't intend to have another Egg, but when they did...I think it helped them start picking up the pieces."

Milo's heart swelled as he saw and felt the pure joy radiating from Azura. After a silent minute, he leaned over to Evan and suggested;

"We should probably give them some space and time to talk through everything, you know?"

"Agreed", nodded the older man, "They'll find us when they're done, I'm sure."

Milo, Evan, and Kara quietly took their leave of the precious family reunion, and sat down in the lobby; Milo and Kara together on a couch and Evan in a fancy armchair. For a while, they said nothing, as their emotions settled down from their incredible chance discovery.

"So", Kara broke the ice eventually, "If you're more focused on stopping smugglers, what brings you to the Conference this year?"

"As it happens", Evan sat back in his chair, "You're a big part of my reason for entering this year, Milo."

"Oh", the young man flushed, unsure of how to respond, "Uh, I'm glad to hear it. How do you mean?"

"Azura, for one", chuckled the Eevee specialist, "I mean, I never suspected she was actually Eva, of course."

He paused before backtracking, "Actually, to be totally honest, I'll admit it had crossed my mind very briefly; the odds of there being _another_ shiny Eevee were, after all, astronomical. Still, it felt like the odds of you somehow having found and bonded so strongly with the exact same Eevee that Ferno and Psyonne had lost were equally impossible, so I didn't even mention it to them. I didn't want to get their hopes up."

"I get you", Milo said, "When we left Hearthome to get to Veilstone, Azura looked for her parents at the Lost Tower. She was devastated when their spirits didn't appear to her; we assumed they had already moved on without waiting for her."

"That would have been tragic indeed. Really, though, the reason I entered the Conference to meet you came down the fact that you have both Azura and your new Glaceon. I could tell by their battling when I watched your fights that they cared deeply for you, and I felt a certain kindred spirit, if you will. It was irresistible, and so...well, I didn't resist and here I am."

"Well", Milo was still a bit unsure of himself, "Uh, I'm really glad you found me."

The trio sat and chatted for another few hours before the newly reunited Eevee family came upstairs to find their Trainers. Azura was, of course, over the moon. Milo and Evan met several more times over the next few times during Milo's public training sessions. Milo's shiny Umbreon was bursting at the seams to show her family how powerful she had become since their separation. Evan was also quite helpful; he was able to give Milo expert tips on caring for Eevee-line Pokémon, things the veteran had picked up in his years of experience. Evan's company, and the joyous (albeit unexpected) reunion of Azura to her family made the final days tick by extraordinarily quickly. All too soon, it was the night of the Conference's kickoff.

 **Marcus**

The Gym Leader ushered his family courteously into the VIP box seats he'd managed to obtain. Cynthia had been more than willing to pull the necessary strings the minute he'd explained that his parents wanted to come watch the opening ceremony of the Conference. Another family sidled into the row behind them; Amaya's parents had come as surprise guests.

"Wait", Amaya had said suddenly the night before, "Who's at the door? Uh…Dad? Mom?"

"Surprise!" Amaya's dad roared gleefully, "We'd never just miss our daughter's Rookie Conference, would we?"

Try as she might to hide the evidence, everyone could tell that the Twinleaf girl was absolutely glowing with pride at having her parents watch her battles in person. Marcus had kindly put up the funds for both families to stay in a hotel near the two Trainers, and now they along with Kara all crowded in as the show got underway;

It was late evening, and when the stadium lights began to fade down, an eerie darkness descended on the stadium. Accordingly, a hush fell over the crowd. Every single person was on the edge of their seat, the same thought running like wildfire through every mind;

 _It's starting…!_

"Ladies and gentlemen", came the announcer's dramatic voice, "It is with pride, honor, joy, and enthusiasm that I welcome you to the one and only Lily of the Valley Conference."

From each Trainer box below on the battlefield of the revered Lily Stadium, brilliant white fireworks shot upwards in perfect unison. At first two at a time shot into the air, but as the announcer continued, the brightness and volume of the beautiful explosives grew and grew;

"This season, we have witnessed once again the skill and power of the world's greatest Pokémon League! Nowhere else is the competition so stiff, nor the Trainers so strong! This season, the Trainers of Sinnoh have given us drama, fascination, admiration, power, suspense, and thrill!"

Louder and brighter grew the fireworks, and a large, circular podium began slowly rising in the middle of the stadium. Spotlights turned on and rove about the crowd as the suspense and energy built up. The bright fireworks and lights overshadowed whoever was on the center podium, and people craned their necks and strained their eyes to see who would be giving the opening performance;

"Here to perform for us in a celebration of the glory of our proud region, please welcome…the one and only…the talented…the beautiful…DAWN HIKARI!"

Screams of delight exploded from the tens of thousands of fans, as the spotlights snapped to the center podium, where Sinnoh's famous Top Coordinator stood with her arms wide, a huge smile on her face.

Pure ecstasy was the only way to describe the mood in the stadium as Dawn amazed and inspired her loyal fans for a full half hour. All six of her Pokémon joined together under her perfect direction to produce appeals and displays of beauty and brilliance that sent even the most casual Dawn fans into an absolute frenzy. Little Myrian, sat with Marcus and her parents in the VIP box, all but lost her voice screaming with delight at one of Sinnoh's favorite celebrities.

At last, with a final flourish, and a huge bow, the performance ended, leaving the whole stadium breathless. Applause rained down, and Dawn took it perfectly in stride. When it at last died down, she spoke for the first time;

"Thank you! Thanks so much, Sinnoh! It's my great honor to be here to help ring in this year's Conference! Are you all ready to kick this thing off?"

A roar from the crowd followed dutifully, and the Coordinator raised a hand dramatically, and yelled;

"Then may I present to you…your Pokémon League Champion! Cynthia Shirona!"

From behind and beneath Dawn's central podium rose the famed Champion, leader of the strongest League in the world, undeniably the second-most powerful Trainer in the world behind only Ash Ketchum himself.

"CYN-THI-A! CYN-THI-A!"

"Sinnoh!" Cynthia yelled in reply, casting her hands out to ask for quiet;

"A thousand thanks for your great enthusiasm!"

She waited another few seconds for the noise to die down at least enough that she could talk over it;

"This season's battling has seen more than its fair share of drama, upsets, and shocks, and it has all led to this! The sixty four Trainers who have gathered here represent the very best of the Sinnoh region's up and coming talent. It is my duty as Champion and my distinct honor to present them to you as we reveal the lineup and groups for this year's Lily of the Valley Conference!"

With that, the spotlight went dark, and all attention turned to the jumbo screens on either side of the stadium. A sort of 'teaser video' had been created, boasting the highlights of the year's entrants – There were periodic cheers as people in the crowd caught glimpses of their favorites in the hype video.

"There he is!" Myrian screamed and jumped around in her seat each time Milo was featured.

"Well", Marcus smirked as the video wound on, "We know who the League has been paying attention to."

His point was very clear; Coral's Hydro Pump had just made its fourth appearance – the most of any individual Pokémon in the tournament. Granite also got his fair share of screen time, but the kicker was when a certain blue-ringed Umbreon flashed across the big screen, and the noise level in Lily Stadium spiked;

"Haha!" Alexander laughed with pride, "Just listen to that! Milo and Azura make quite the iconic duo."

With one last brutal display of power, an Ice Beam from Damion's Empoleon, the video came to a dramatic conclusion. A round of appreciative applause rang out from the thousands assembled, and the murmurs of excitement rippled all around. It was time.

The real reason there was so much hubbub about the opening ceremony was coming up. The groups would finally be revealed – the first round of the Conference placed every Trainer in a pool of 4. There were 16 of these pools, and each would play out a round robin of 2-on-2 battles, after which the best 2 Trainers of every group would advance to the single elimination bracket proper.

It was all well and good to speculate on who might fare well and who was more likely to fizzle out, but once the groups were official, the predictions and calculations could truly kick off:

"Here they are, Sinnoh!" Cynthia was in the spotlight once more, "The Trainers who will be competing in this year's Conference!"

While the crowd had focused on the video, the competitors had been brought out and now stood in a circle around the Champion's podium.

"There he is!" Kara quickly spotted Milo and pointed him out frantically.

"There's my girl!" Amaya's father was almost in tears at the sight of his youngest daughter standing amidst the grandeur of Sinnoh's most famous battle arena, "You show them what you can do, 'Maya!"

"Ladies and gentlemen", Cynthia was clearly just as excited as the crowd, "Without further ado…"

 _Here we go_ , thought Milo, _Straight face, don't freak out. No matter what._

"I give you…"

 _I've earned this_ , Amaya told herself, _I deserve to be here, and I'm not afraid of anybody._

"…your lineups! Let the Lily of the Valley Conference BEGIN!"

As she exclaimed, the screens flashed back into life, divided into 16 even sections. The onlookers franticly searched these 16 groups, looking for the names they cared about. The crowd gave a huge roar that only got louder as every one of the thousands of people assembled looked for their favorites, or looked for good matchups.

"There!" Zoe, Milo's mother, pointed ecstatically, "He's in Group 12!"

"Amaya's in 5!" Kara had called it out, and Marcus gave a quick rundown;

"Looks like Milo's the lucky one", he had to shout to be heard over the delirious noise of Lily Stadium, "He's the top seed in his group. Amaya's the third seed; she'll need a big first round to get into the bracket."

 **Amaya**

She could only stare, transfixed. It had taken her only a second to find her name and face next to all the rest on the giant screens. She was ranked third in her group.

 _I'm not even supposed to get past round one_ , she realized, _I'm projected to go out in the group phase. If this plays out like they think it will, I'll be out on Day One._

The first eight groups would compete on Battle Day One, two days after the opening ceremonies. The last eight groups, including Milo's group 12, would battle the following day – Battle Day Two.

Amaya knew she should be happy to be there. She should be proud that her name and her face were up on that screen. She had earned her place here, and she wanted to feel accomplished. Instead, she felt only anger.

 _How can I be the third seed? I'm the freaking Hammer! I never lose! Milo loses more than me, how is he the top seed?_

She scowled the rest of the way through the formalities, and all the way back to the hotel. She almost totally ignored Milo, who was over the moon, practically babbling about how cool it was to be in the Conference, how big Lily Stadium was, blah blah blah.

 _A year of work_ , she glowered, _Eight badges, and all those Rookie Challenge wins, and I'm third in my group? It's ridiculous. What the hell were they thinking?_

Predictably, all the friends and family were gathered together in Milo's suite when the two young Rookies at last made their way back. Marcus, being Marcus, had already constructed a pair of detailed charts showing each and every possibility for both Trainers; he'd evidently been too impatient to wait for them to begin.

The scribbles on each of the charts ran this way and that – if person A should beat person B, then this battle only mattered this much, but it was far more crucial if person C actually upset person A, because then the whole group would be closer together. It was probably wise to save the best Pokémon for this battle, unless that battle went this way…

"I still can't believe I'm third", blurted the Twinleaf girl.

"I was surprised, too", said Marcus grimly, "I can only guess it's because you've really just been battling other Rookies. Anyway", he tried to appear reassuring, "The group seeds really don't mean anything. It's just a way to split the groups up somewhat fairly."

"Still", grunted The Hammer, "That's crap."

Marcus only nodded before getting eagerly back into his chart, wondering whether this situation might call for such and such response, unless this other condition played out like that…

 **Prep Day**

The day between the opening ceremonies and the first set of group battles was supposed to be a day for the Trainers to relax and get their plans together, but in reality it was one of the most stressful days Milo or Amaya could remember. They did some light training, but not much.

"You can't afford to have tired Pokémon; this round is absolutely critical", Marcus had explained, "Not only do you have to qualify, but a strong group phase performance will give you a lot of momentum going into the bracket."

Most of their day was spent in the hotel, with the television tuned into every sports channel they could find. Every single one was speculating and predicting the Conference.

"Let's talk about this year's Rookie representation in the Conference", said one broadcaster.

"Sure", answered her fellow analyst, "I think a few names jump off the page right away. There's the usual group of graduates from around the best academies – kids who are only here because they scored well on the League exams – but we also see this nucleus of standouts, a Rookie power crew, if you will."

"I'd agree", the first lady took over, "You have Milo and the Hammer, of course, and I'd also put Damion Parr and Nova of Sunyshore in that category. It's been great to see those latter two develop, even though they've been kind of overshadowed."

"Well, let's ask the question then: Which one of these so-called super Rookies gets further? I mean, now that we have the groups, who does best?"

This question rang out loud and clear all day, over and over again. Every analyst, every announcer on every show, they all wanted to know – would Milo beat out Amaya? Or would the Twinleaf girl come out on top? Some said Amaya's power would earn victory, plain and simple. Others said Milo's experience battling above the Rookie level would carry him deeper into the bracket. Still others set up complicated charts and projections, not unlike Marcus, as a complicated way to say…who knows?

That evening, Milo was stressed twice over. He was freaking out about the Conference, of course, but it was also time to implement Shadow Master Karen's risky plan to draw out the PsyForce Tribe. The Psychic power monitors they'd set up outside the Tribe's Lily City hideout confirmed their suspicions; Psyfer's organization was slowly gathering a sizeable amount of resources and dispatching regular scouts to track Milo's movements. Now it was time to bait the trap, to give them a reason to leave the protection of the crowded city.

"Milo", Kara clung tightly to her boyfriend as he was leaving, "Please promise me you'll be okay."

"I've been fine every time so far", he answered quietly, "Trust me. Trust the Order. We have a plan."

"A plan?" The Performer was struggling to hold back fearful tears as her fist clenched around Milo's t-shirt, "Milo, the plan is to set you up as bait for a whole tribe of crazy, powerful Psychics!"

"Well", as if he wasn't nervous enough already, "Umm, thank you for…summing that up."

"Ah…S-sorry, I just…"

"I get it, Kara", he brought his arms up to hold her gently, and whispered, "Thank you. I promise you I'll be back."

She held him as tightly as possible for another second before at last stepping back.

"Besides", grinned the Jubilife Trainer, "Amaya would murder me if I missed her battles tomorrow."

With that, and a weak grin from Kara, he was off.

 **Milo**

Somehow, he'd held it together just long enough to leave Kara with a smile and a joke. He wasn't nearly as confident as he'd made it sound. With many deep breaths and focused thoughts he made his way past the city's outskirts and out to a deserted patch of grassland cut off from the metropolis by a sufficiently thick tree line. It took a while to get there, but it was necessary to convince the Tribe he was far enough out to be taken. The 'plan', pure and simple, was for him to be out here for a few hours, or until he was ambushed. Hiding in the trees were Marcus and Karen, Pokémon and blessings at the ready. The idea was that once the Psychics showed themselves, the two veteran Order members would jump in and fight on his behalf. That way the Tribe would be dealt with and he wouldn't have to ruin his chances at the Conference by triggering his blessings and being out of commission for half a week. At least…that was the plan.

He released his Pokémon and made to warm himself up, reminding them mentally;

 _Remember guys, we're for sure being watched. Nothing rigorous here, but it has to look real._

 _This sucks_ , replied Jet quite bluntly, _I can't act normal knowing those psychos are just sitting out there figuring out whether or not to freaking ambush us._

 _Tell me about it_ , grunted Blaze, _You weren't there for the big ambush before Pastoria, from the Primal. That kind of crap is scary as hell, man._

 _Knock it off_ , warned Azura in no uncertain terms, _Let's just get into it. Milo, what are we running?_

Shaking his head in a vain attempt to clear his thoughts, the young man called aloud;

"Alright, line it up over here. Let's get those warmup reps in, guys."

Light running drills were tough when he could barely keep his legs from wobbling. Nevertheless, Milo forced himself to go through the motions.

"Okay, split up and do some one-hit runs."

This was one of Milo's go-to drills for general training. His Pokémon would spar until one of them took a hit. Whoever took the hit had to do extra running and then try again.

It was tough for anyone else to see, but Milo could tell from the way his team fought that they were having the same trouble focusing on the training.

 _Come on guys_ , he coaxed, _Just…try to keep your mind on the training. If all goes to plan we don't even have to fight._

 _Yeah_ , huffed Drake, _Because everything always goes to plan. How comforting._

 _Shut up and run_ , retorted Azura as she stepped in and delivered a Shadow Ball to the Garchomp's chest.

 _Ah, crap. Yeah, yeah, I'm going…_

For three hours, the charade went on, hanging by a thread. After the one-hit run drill, Milo led his team in some running, followed by a bit of evasion practice. Then more running, some agility work, a bit of move endurance, more jogging…The whole time, nobody could forget that somewhere very nearby they were most definitely being watched. It was an incredibly tense session, but…no attacks were forthcoming.

At long last, Milo called a halt;

"Alright guys, that was good work. We're looking fit and sharp."

Mentally, he added, _I guess it's not happening tonight. That just means we'll be back tomorrow. We have to keep this up for as long as it takes them to come after us. For now, though, I'm calling it._

He saw neither hide nor hair of Marcus or Karen on his way back through the dark trees towards the city, but…well, that was the whole point, after all. It had to appear as though he was acting in isolation.

Kara was, of course, thrilled to have him back without incident, but the whole evening left Milo with an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach, and it took him quite a while to fall asleep. As if the Conference weren't stressful enough, now he was in a mind-game standoff with the PsyForce Tribe, waiting for them to start the inevitable battle that would end their ongoing conflict one way or the other…

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I'm already well on my way through the next chapter, and I promise it will contain the first chunk of the Conference. The reason this chapter does** _ **not**_ **do that is because this stuff is important, too, and I wanted to give it the attention it deserves. With that said, I hope you enjoyed the big reveal with Azura's family! I have waited a** _ **long**_ **time to drop that bomb, and I can only hope I did it justice. My one concern is that I've tried to do too much at the same time (again). If that's the case, don't be afraid to call me out, but if it worked I'd love to hear that too! Either way, your input helps me improve as a writer, and it means at the end of the day that you get a better story to read.**

 **To follow up on my plans for the future from the last update: my plan as of now (I reserve the right to change this, of course) is to jump back into the Underground Master story, which you can find on my profile. I would love to start on the Milo sequel right away, but I'm not 100% satisfied with my prep work on it. That being said, I already have 40+ pages of said prep work (including a full first chapter), and I'm just trying to nail down some of my side plots and how the various arcs fit together, so when this does come out it should be one heck of a story. When I'm ready for that, I'll get it going alongside whatever other story I'm working on, probably Underground Master.**

 **Whew, so that's what I have to say about that. Let's get the usual things taken care of; I don't own Pokémon. Please, if you have any thoughts about any aspect of the story, I would love to hear it! I take all your reviews very seriously, and I do consider every one of them. Thank you super very mega much to everyone who has helped me out with advice and thoughts along the way! Thank you readers, and I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do! Until next time, ciao!**

 **-Nano**


	26. Chapter 26 - The Conference (Part 1)

Milo Chapter 26 – The Conference

 **Battle Day One**

Eight thousand people were packed into Stadium 5 for Amaya's group battles. Marcus came through for them again, and Kara, Milo, and two sets of proud parents joined him in box seats for the day. This side venue was nowhere close to the scale and grandeur of Lily Stadium proper, but was one of eight smaller arenas that branched out from the huge battling complex. The main stadium wouldn't be used until the pre-quarter round – the second knockout round after the group phase.

Amaya's fate was the question of the day, and battle fans were eager to see whether The Hammer could overcome the odds and get through her group. After a half hour of anxious waiting, the announcer's voice crackled into life and rang out across the arena;

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Group 5! We're looking forward to some great 2 versus 2 battles here today; as a reminder, the top 2 Trainers from this group will advance to the knockout rounds. Without further ado, let's meet the competitors in this group and see the day's schedule!"

Milo clapped dutifully along as the four members of Group 5 paraded out onto the field, 'Maya among them. The assembled friends and family were already on the edges of their seats, and more than a few nervous fingers were drumming uncontrollably as the Group 5 Trainers were introduced;

"First, from Sunyshore, please give it up for…Baron!"

The fourth seed boy, a trainee from Volkner's Gym, stepped out and waved to the crowd, who cheered him politely. He had apparently left his position as one of the Sunyshore Leader's students to make a name for himself in the wider battling world. Predictably, he specialized in Electric types. Talent-wise, he definitely fell in the 'just happy to be here' category, though his arrogant attitude suggested otherwise.

"Next, from the humble beginnings of Twinleaf Town, welcome…Amaya!"

The Hammer naturally received a much larger cheer than Baron of Sunyshore, but she didn't acknowledge the noise. She stood in her place, hands tucked firmly in the front pocket of her favorite baggy hoodie, and simply nodded to verify that yes, she was indeed Amaya of Twinleaf.

"And now, entering her third Lily of the Valley Conference, please give a warm welcome to…Rose!"

Rose was the second seed in Group 5, a third year Trainer still looking for her big break. She was a relatively weak second seed, and she was Amaya's best chance at causing an upset and breaking into the knockout rounds.

"Finally, entering his seventh Conference, put your hands together for…MAX!"

Max, a semi-pro battler looking to bolster his reputation by claiming a Conference title, got a huge roar from the assembled onlookers. He wasn't one of the big-time pros, but he was a well-respected figure nonetheless among those who followed the Sinnoh battling scene. Beating him wasn't out of the question, but in a 2 on 2 it was a lofty aspiration at best.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, turn your attention to the screen, and we will get our first look at today's battle schedule!"

The big screen flashed into life, and every eye scrutinized it thoroughly.

"Good", murmured Marcus, "This is perfect for her."

"She gets an easy win to start", Amaya's father nodded at the second battle on the list – Amaya's first. She would start her Conference against Baron, the Electric type user.

"Then she fights the big guy, and she wraps it up against Rose", Milo rattled off, "So even if she loses to Max in her second fight, nothing changes. She just has to win that final matchup."

Since Max and Rose were first on the list, Amaya and Baron cleared the field and the crowd settled in. The Lily of the Valley Conference was about to begin in earnest.

 **Amaya**

Her waiting room felt like a prison. There was a small screen in one corner showing her the fight going on just outside.

 _At least I won't have to wait long_ , she thought, _Max is burning straight through Rose with that Magmortar. I guess I'll have to bring Coral when I fight him, for sure._

In this first round, there were no substitutions, so Rose's Tropius was forced to take a big loss to the heavily favored Blast Pokémon. Next up was a Noctowl from Rose.

 _She doesn't have a good counter to Fire types_ , noted Amaya, laser focused on every detail of her opponents' battle. The Noctowl lasted longer than the Tropius, as it was more mobile. Still, it became a game of accuracy for the Magmortar, who had only to keep firing.

 _As long as he keeps up the attacks, she can't counter_ , Amaya saw, _This guy's good. And…yep, there it is._

A big hit had finally landed – a Flamethrower straight into Noctowl's face. The Owl Pokémon was tenacious, though, and Rose called a swift counter;

"Extrasensory into Air Slash!"

Max's Pokémon was left dazed by the Psychic attack before being blindsided by the respectable Air Slash. Max, however, wasn't about to panic after a couple hits.

"Fire Punch while it's close, Magmortar. End this."

One big Fire Punch later, Rose's Pokémon was down. She had lost.

 _Damn_ , thought Amaya as she readied herself to take the field, _Max isn't playing around._

She quickly put this out of her mind, however, as she stared down the tunnel that led out into the sunlight of Stadium 5.

"Let's hear you make some noise", called the announcer, "for…Baron and Amaya!"

Battle face on, the Twinleaf girl strode confidently out to meet her opponent in the middle of the field for the customary handshake. It was painfully obvious he had worked under Volkner; even his sense of fashion resembled the Sunyshore Leader.

"Good luck", said Amaya briefly.

"Hey", Baron asked with a smug grin, "When I beat 'The Hammer', do you think I'll get a cool nickname too? Guess I better start brainstorming, huh?"

Dropping her hand, Amaya's eyes narrowed and she answered quietly;

"Remember you said that. You'll regret it."

With that feisty exchange, both Trainers took up position in their boxes.

"Let's do this right", called Baron, "Start us off, Pelipper!"

"Hmph. Glacius."

It was almost too easy. She had done her homework on this Sunyshore clown, and knew he had a Pelipper on his team to counter the Ground types that were always used against his Electric Pokémon. From there, it was easy to guess he'd plan on her using one of her Ground types and flip the script on him. Glacius was rather savage, and scraped her claws together in anticipation, seeing her opponent was a Flying Pokémon, and a slow one at that.

Baron wasn't all stupid. He realized in an instant that he'd been outplayed, and made the snap decision to get out in front of the play as fast as possible.

"Pelipper, Supersonic!"

"Quick Attack around, Icy Wind."

Amaya's Weavile all but disappeared from sight, so fast was her Quick Attack escape. Supersonic missed by a long shot, and the Water Bird squawked in pain and surprise as the icy attack hit him from behind.

"Now in, Glacius. Punishment."

"Pelipper, Protect!"

It was a panic play, but it worked. Glacius' attack was deflected at the last possible second by a frantic shield from Baron's first Pokémon.

"That only works once", said Amaya, "Back off, and give him a Dark Pulse."

This attack struck home, and Pelipper went down in a heap.

"Pelipper", called Baron, "If you're still with me, buy time with Hurricane!"

Amaya frowned as the Water Bird Pokémon struggled back up, and launched a Hurricane that left Glacius scrambling, and gave Baron's Flying type time to escape and get set up to continue.

"Now keep that thing running! Hydro Pump!"

"Shadow Ball, Glacius! Then move, and Blizzard!"

Amaya's Weavile was just able to get the Ghost attack off in time to counter the blast of water that came rocketing towards her. Then it took only a neat sidestep and a straightforward Blizzard attack to end the round.

"Pelipper is unable to continue, Weavile is the winner! Baron, your second Pokémon!"

"Raichu", called the Sunyshore trainee, "Time to put in some work!"

"Move and hit, Glacius. Quick Attack around, then Night Slash."

As the Sharp Claw Pokémon made to move in, however, Baron countered;

"Not so fast! Grass Knot, then Thunder!"

Neither Amaya nor Glacius was prepared for such a play, and the Weavile hissed in surprise as Grass Knot brought her tumbling to the ground, which left a window large enough for Raichu to land a huge hit with its Thunder attack.

"Follow it, Raichu! Brick Break!"

Before Amaya's Pokémon could compose herself, the speedy Mouse Pokémon came dashing in for a doubly super effective Brick Break that knocked Glacius out of contention.

"Shoot", Milo sat back, eyes narrowed as the crowd roared in approval at Baron's comeback, "This guy's no pushover. He's tied it up. Still, he's locked into that Raichu, so Amaya can just pull one of her Ground types and wrap it up."

"Come on, 'Maya!" Kara was out of her seat, cheering as hard as she could for her friend as the Twinleaf Trainer reached for her belt and made the most strategic call;

"Terrus, you're in."

"Get started quick, Raichu! Disarming Voice!"

"Tank it, Terrus. Give me the biggest Earthquake you've got."

The mighty Torterra did not disappoint. Disregarding the Electric type's Disarming Voice as if it were nothing, he roared aloud and set the ground heaving in a frightening display of power. When the massive Ground attack at last subsided, Raichu grimaced, stumbled, and fell over.

Screams erupted as the announcer, all but frothing at the mouth, yelled into his microphone;

"She's finished it in one blow! Unbelievable! Baron's Raichu goes down to a staggering Earthquake, and the battle is over! The Hammer has won!"

Amaya met Baron in the middle of the field for a handshake. The Sunyshore boy, glowering, couldn't seem to meet her eyes…so of course she had to rub salt in his freshly wounded pride;

"Don't talk shit you can't back up. Better luck next year."

The former Gym pupil's body stiffened, and the whole stadium could see him forcibly restraining himself as Amaya walked off with a highly satisfied smirk.

"Whatever she just said", Milo chuckled, "He did _not_ like it. Not one bit."

"Ah, come on", her father rubbed a hand over his face, "Our 'Maya should be above petty trash talk – that's unnecessary."

"If I know her", Kara speculated, "He probably started it. My guess is that he said something before the battle that set her off."

 **Amaya**

Back in her waiting room, the Twinleaf Rookie had just received her Pokémon back from the healing service. She plucked one Pokéball from her belt and released Glacius.

"Hey. Good work."

The Sharp Claw Pokémon nodded, but didn't seem too enthused.

"Ever the perfectionist, huh? Yeah, that Raichu was good. Next time, recover a bit quicker and you'll win those punch-outs."

Glacius always took advice and criticism better than praise. She didn't care how good she was, only that she could still improve. Amaya talked a while longer with the Ice type before returning her and settling in to wait through the half hour rest period before the next two battles.

This time, she was up first, against the top seed in the group; Max.

 _Alright_ , the Twinleaf Trainer prepared herself for her toughest group matchup, _I have everything to gain and nothing to lose here. Time to prove I've got what it takes for a seat at the big kids' table._

"Now, ladies and gentlemen, grab ahold of your seats; Amaya versus Max promises to be one heck of a wild ride! Let's watch them go at it here in Stadium 5! Please welcome our next battlers!"

Amaya strode out to the middle of the field, still not acknowledging the noise of the crowd.

"I've been watching you", said Max when they met for the pre-battle handshake, "You're pretty good – I'm not sure how you got seeded so low. I'm looking forward to this, let's have a good one."

"…Thanks."

She knew this battle would test her, but she had done her homework. She knew which two Pokémon Max would use and what they could do. All she had to do was…well, beat them.

"Magmortar", called the semi-pro, "Light it up!"

"Coral", responded the Rookie, "It's time."

Max wasn't waiting around, "Start with a Smog!"

"No! Coral, use Twister, keep that Smog away!"

She couldn't afford for her ace Milotic to be poisoned, especially right at the start. The Twister also gave her an opening to be aggressive;

"Now Hydro Pump straight through!"

"Easy, Magmortar. Thunder Punch!"

Hydro Pump missed by a longshot; the Blast Pokémon had moved as soon as Twister had obscured him from view. He had a clear shot, and Amaya could do nothing to prevent her Tender Pokémon from taking the first hit. As her body crackled with electricity from the super effective attack, Coral heard Amaya call one of her go-to counterattacks;

"Dragon Tail, Coral! Get your space back!"

"Back off, Magmortar! Get clear!"

This time, Amaya came out ahead. Magmortar couldn't evade Coral's favorite close range move, and took a walloping hit to the stomach.

"Follow with Water Pulse!"

"Do what you can, Magmortar! Hang tough!"

The bulky Fire type knew he couldn't dodge in time, but a well-placed Lava Plume at least mitigated the damage a bit.

"Let's change it up! Charge in!"

After two big hits, Coral was unprepared for the sudden frontal assault by Magmortar, and her instinctive Dragon Pulse attack was well wide of the mark. Max's heavy hitter punished her with another direct Thunder Punch, and Coral definitely didn't look too good.

"Oh, geez", Marcus shook his head up above with some disbelief as the battle raged on, "She really needs to get control of this thing. This should've been an easy win for her, but now I'm not even sure Coral will make it to round 2."

"Max is definitely good", agreed Milo, "I wouldn't count Coral out just yet, though."

"Hydro Pump!" Amaya had found another opening.

As the attack struck home, though, Max had one last play, "Help out the team, Magmortar! Smog!"

As he slowly collapsed, the Blast Pokémon released a huge wave of poison gas that took effect quickly. Coral had won, but now she was poisoned.

"Magmortar is unable to continue! Max, your second Pokémon!"

Max nodded, his face alight with a dangerous energy, "What a thrill! We can still pull this one out, Mamoswine! You've got this!"

"Quick, Coral", Amaya was clearly shaken at having her ace crippled so suddenly, "Use Recover!"

"Blitz, Mamoswine! Use Freeze Dry!"

"Dang it", Milo flung himself back in his seat, frustrated, "If she would've just stuck to her usual offense-first style, Coral could've at least dented Mamoswine. She's freaked out."

His point was painfully evident; Coral was far too tired and weakened by damage and poison to mount an effective Recover, and the super effective move from the Ice type sent her crashing to the ground, unconscious. The unbeatable Coral, backbone of Amaya's whole team, was down.

"This doesn't look good", murmured Marcus, "That Mamoswine is his anchor. Amaya's strong, but Max and Mamoswine have had years to build power, experience and chemistry together. I'm not sure what she could bring against that thing."

"Terrus", called the Twinleaf girl, "Bring it home."

The mighty Torterra, to his credit, emerged with a roar and a glare. His demeanor reflected Amaya's own attitude perfectly; nobody was going to intimidate them.

"Lead with Grass Knot", ordered Amaya.

"Use those tusks, Mamoswine, then respond with Blizzard."

As Terrus' Grass move targeted the Twin Tusk Pokémon, Mamoswine simply stabbed his tusks through it with ease before striking back with a savage Blizzard that actually pushed Amaya's starter backwards with its raw force, not to mention the massive damage it caused.

"Giga Drain!"

Amaya was desperate to regain some of the control that was rapidly evaporating from her grasp. Unfortunately, Max had seen this one, too.

"Time to close in, then! Mamoswine, Take Down!"

"That's the same thing", Milo was frowning, "She needs a new idea, something besides just trying to hit it outright. Her moves are too obvious. That Mamoswine is too good a counter-attacker to lose a punch out. He'll keep tanking hits and hitting back even harder."

"This isn't her kind of battle", admitted Amaya's father, "Power won't do the trick, but that's all she's got left at this point. He's smarter and more experienced than she is."

It was increasingly hard for Amaya's friends to watch as everything she and Terrus tried was rendered ineffective or simply irrelevant by Max and his prized Mamoswine. She wasn't even given time to think, as Max kept the pressure ramped up;

"Add an Ice Fang!"

Mamoswine had just rammed Terrus with Take Down, and before Amaya's starter could recover, a pained roar escaped his throat as Ice Fang added further super effective damage.

"Earthquake, Terrus!"

Amaya was looking to score a hit – any hit – but Max gave her no room to breathe.

"Go for broke, Mamoswine. Blizzard."

The Twinleaf Trainer was helpless, watching with wide eyes as her brave Continent Pokémon came crashing down to the ground. Terrus was down. She had lost.

The assembled friends and family looked around nervously at one another, but nobody spoke until Milo asserted in a rather shaky voice;

"It's okay; she's still got a chance. This is what we expected, right? It was always going to come down to Amaya or Rose for the number 2 spot."

On the field, Amaya had silently offered the victorious Max the obligatory post-battle handshake and quickly retreated, stone-faced the whole way.

 _Whew_ , thought Kara, _Deep breaths, it's all good. She's got this._

"What a feeling", commented Amaya's father, "Only Pokémon battling puts you on the edge of your seat like this."

"Truer words, my friend", responded Alexander encouragingly, "But your daughter is a resilient one. She'll come out swinging against Rose. I'm sure she'll take second without too much difficulty."

As the two dads fell eagerly to talking about the particulars and hypotheticals of the remaining group battles, the rest of the group settled in to watch Baron battle Rose. The Sunyshore trainee met his opponent in the middle of the field for a handshake, smug smirk firmly back in place. Just as in his battle against Amaya, the cocky young man couldn't resist a jibe at Rose's expense;

"You're hot, I'll say that much. It's too bad you've got more looks than talent. How many sleepless nights did it take to buy a spot in the Conference this year?"

Nobody else heard his remark, but there was a collective gasp as Rose whirled about and delivered an almighty slap to Baron's face. So forceful was she that the offensive young man was sent spinning and tumbling to the floor, clutching his face in shock and disbelief. He looked up, his eyes wide, to see Rose standing furiously over him, her face flushed and her chest heaving, looking as though she was about to hit him again. Frantically, the referee dashed out to separate the two.

"Holy crap!" Milo was out of his seat, "Where in the world did that come from?"

The chaos inside Stadium 5 grew and grew as every spectator voiced the same question as Milo. Rose was nothing if not polite and mild-mannered…what could have prompted her, of all people, to actually _hit_ Baron? After a long couple minutes waiting for the official to determine what had happened and consult via earpiece with a higher-up tournament coordinator, the man stepped into the middle of the field, and held up his hands to ask for quiet.

As the crowd hushed, he tapped his ear, asking the sound tech for the Stadium to project his microphone over the loud speaker;

"Ladies and gentlemen; we apologize for the confusion. It has been determined that an official personal conduct violation has been assessed to Baron of Sunyshore, disqualifying him from further participation in the Lily of the Valley Conference. A warning has also been issued to Miss Rose, who will be allowed to continue so long as there are no further concerns regarding her conduct during the Conference. Thank you for your patience and understanding. Rose will be credited with a 2-0 victory over Baron, and we will now begin a 15 minute break before the last battle of Group 5!"

"Wow", Kara murmured, "Whatever he said to her was bad enough to get him kicked out. What a jerk."

"Yeah", Milo narrowed his eyes, "That's just awful. That also means Max is guaranteed a perfect group phase. Baron was the only one he had left to fight, and now he'll be given an automatic victory. It's all about this last battle now. Both 'Maya and Rose got a win over Baron and a loss to Max, so the winner of this battle goes through, and the loser is out."

It was a tense 15 minutes, to say the least, but the crowd eventually settled back down just in time to watch the critical battle between Amaya and Rose.

 _You promised me_ , thought Milo as the two girls shook hands and took up position on opposite sides of the field, _You promised me we would meet in the Conference. Come on, 'Maya, you have to win this. You've got this, come on…_

On the field, Amaya's face was just as steely as ever, her fierce demeanor completely unreadable as the referee got things underway;

"Battle…begin!"

"Lopunny", called Rose, her eyes narrowed with focus.

"Glacius, it's time", Amaya chose to lead with her Weavile once more.

"Interesting", Milo's brain was already in overdrive, analyzing every detail, "Their instincts are similar. They both went for versatility, not knowing what type of Pokémon the other would open with."

"Get to it, Glacius", Amaya was quick off the mark, knowing she needed this victory, "Quick Attack, then Brick Break."

Rose heard the call, and was alert enough to escape, "Lopunny, use Bounce!"

It was not a second too soon. Just as Amaya's Weavile was coming in for the Fighting type hit, the Rabbit Pokémon gave a mighty leap, leaving Glacius' Brick Break to swing harmlessly below.

"Stop, Glacius", The Hammer would not be denied, "Wait underneath it. Land that Brick Break."

It was a clever play, if risky;

"Whew", Milo sat back as Amaya's Sharp Claw Pokémon at last got her move in, laying Lopunny out flat on the field, "That could've backfired quickly against a sharper opponent."

Rose's first battler was pulling itself off the ground, but Amaya didn't give her an opening to get back into the fight;

"End it, Glacius. Blizzard, Night Slash, then another Brick Break."

The unfortunate Normal type was walloped by a ferocious Blizzard that also served to disguise the dangerous Glacius as she flanked her opponent to land a Night Slash that saw Lopunny crash to the ground again. One Brick Break follow-up later, the round was already over.

As she cheered the crucial first round win, Amaya's mother fanned herself with a hand;

"Oh, goodness. My poor nerves! I just hope our 'Maya can wrap this up before it causes me any more stress from watching!"

They shared a chuckle as Rose revealed her second choice;

"Okay, Toxicroak, we need this!"

Amaya made to begin the second round just as she had closed out the first, but Rose wouldn't be caught out twice;

"Get in with Quick Attack, Glacius!"

"Sucker Punch!"

It wasn't super effective, but Sucker Punch threw the Weavile off her balance, and Toxicroak was ready to capitalize;

"Now, Cross Chop!"

Galcius could only brace herself as she was rocked for super effective damage. Amaya knew she had to reset, get her space, and make some kind of plan before the situation became unrecoverable;

"Icy Wind, get away!"

She'd borrowed the idea for this tactic from Milo and Aurora, and it worked to perfection. Now with the advantage of surprise, Amaya got back to her usual offensive blitz strategy;

"Aerial Ace! Then point blank Blizzard!"

As Aerial Ace struck home, Rose shouted frantically;

"Quick, Toxicroak, Revenge!"

Glacius was caught as she readied her large Blizzard attack, and another big Fighting-type hit left her on her last legs. It was now, though, that the Sharp Claw Pokémon recalled Amaya's advice;

'Next time, recover a bit quicker and you'll win those punch-outs.'

Fighting through the pain, Glacius forced herself back up immediately and launched the Blizzard she'd been trying to fire earlier. Unprepared for such a ferocious counter so soon, Toxicroak crumpled at last. As the action at last fell to a standstill, the referee made the call;

"Toxicroak is unable to battle! The winner is Weavile, and the battle goes to Amaya of Twinleaf!"

As the crowd roared their approval, and cries of 'HAAAAAMMEEEERRRR' echoed through the stands, Amaya closed her eyes and exhaled deeply.

 _That's it_ , she told herself, _I'm in. I made the bracket. Holy crap, I can't believe this is real…_

Setting herself shakily, as the adrenaline holding her focus together began to fade, Amaya removed her now-famous headphones and crossed the field to shake Rose's hand;

"That was a great battle", she said courteously.

"Yeah", Rose was understandably down, "I really gave it my all, but you just outgunned me. Fair play, Miss 'Hammer'. Best of luck going forward."

"Hey", Amaya called to her fallen opponent, "Umm, about that thing with Baron...I've dealt with that crap before too, wouldn't wish it on anyone. Sorry it happened to you."

"…Thanks." Rose gave a small, sad smile and took her leave.

Amaya was left standing alone, still breathless at her victory, listening with savage pride to the cheers raining down.

Stadium 5 was still buzzing as the fans began filtering out of the stands, including Kara, Milo, and the rest. It was now close enough to dinner time, so they found a relatively nice restaurant willing to take a reservation for a group as large as theirs (again, it was truly amazing the kind of strings a Gym Leader could pull) and sat down to revel in Amaya's defiance of the odds. The restaurant had set up a large TV to watch highlights and replays from Battle Day One, and Amaya was more than willing to elaborate on each and every detail of her success.

"I guess that's a dad thing", muttered Kara to Milo as Amaya's father kept perfectly in stride with his daughter, going over every little memory, glowing with pride, "Your dad does that, too."

"Well", answered the Jubilife Rookie, "let's just hope I can prove you right tomorrow. I may be the top seed, but I still have to get the results like anyone else."

"Hey, you'll be fine!" Kara gave her boyfriend an encouraging shoulder bump, "Have some faith in your team, Milo."

"Yep, I know", he flashed a grin, "But...really, they're not what I'm worried about."

"Then what's up?"

"I...have to go out again tonight."

Kara took a second to connect the dots, "Go out? What do you...wait, you're baiting that trap for the Psychic people? Again? Milo, you can't! Your Conference starts _tomorrow_! What are you going to do if they actually take the bait this time?"

"Shh", Milo cautioned her, as they were still at dinner with everyone else, "I know it's risky, but...this is a really big deal. I have to do this."

Despite further resistance from Kara, Milo did indeed make his way out to the same clearing later that evening. For the second night in a row, he released his loyal team and led them in some light drills, wondering every single moment whether he was about to be attacked.

 _Milo_ , Azura pulled him aside after a while, _Can I ask you something?_

 _Sure_ , his brow furrowed, _You know you never need my permission. What's up, girl?_

 _I didn't want to bring it up with too many others around, but...I share Kara's concerns about all this. I know I'm not the only one, either._

 _What do you mean, 'all this'? The operation? Come on, Azura, we knew this one was risky. We'd never be able to break the Tribe without some danger._

 _No, it's bigger than just this operation, though that's part of it._

Milo looked out at his team. It was tough to spot, even for him, but...after a full year with them, he could see the signs. They were just going through the motions. Their drills had none of the heart, the passion for progress that had carried them to this point. They looked...dead. Disinterested. Mentally, they just weren't in it.

 _What's going on?_ Milo looked to his shiny Umbreon for an explanation.

 _The Order, Milo. What exactly are we a part of? And why?_

 _What, you don't believe in the mission anymore?_

 _That's not it_ , the Moonlight Pokémon paused to consider her words very carefully, _It's more the way we've been forced into it. I know you've had your doubts about it, too._

 _You're right, but...we're protecting people here, Azura. We can't just give up on that, can we?_

 _Protecting people? Milo, since we've joined, what exactly has happened? We've all been injured more times that I'm comfortable counting. We've had to save Kara's life because she was targeted to get to you. Ditto Gardenia, as well as Ark Monty. Milo, the PsyForce Tribe has done everything in their power to destroy your career, because of the Order. You saw the way that affected all of our friends, not to mention your family. Would any of that have happened without the Order?_

 _How many other people might have been hurt if not for us? We have a responsibility to do our part. Better us than innocent bystanders._

 _That's a responsibility that the Order handed you blindly when they gave you Dark Aura control. How long did it take them to even mention the history of the Order after we joined? Not to mention the blessings. You never asked for that curse. Now those blessings are the sole reason the Order values you. We're a tool to them, Milo – a weapon to be used, not a team to be protected._

This time, Milo had no response. Azura was voicing the same concerns he himself had been fighting to suppress. Karen's voice filtered through his memory;

'We can't risk one of the Order's most valuable assets on a blind raid'

 _No_ , he thought darkly to himself, _Instead of a blind raid, I'm being used as bait for the most dangerous possible trap._

Several threads spun their way through his mind, and he asked his Umbreon;

 _You said you're not the only one who has concerns about this?_

Azura made to respond, but a new voice jumped in first;

 _No...I-I'm scared too, Milo. I hate when you get hurt, no matter why._

 _Aurora…_

Milo knelt down to rub his impressionable Glaceon's ears as she curled herself affectionately around his legs, her body a strange combination of warm and chilled.

 _I'm not so mad about getting hurt_ , cut in Drake, _You do what you have to and take your lumps. It just feels like all we've really done is paint a target on our own backs, though. I can't really figure out who we've actually helped in all this._

Milo looked around. All his team had now stopped to tune into the mental conversation.

 _I...look, guys, I hear you. I get your points on this, and part of me really does agree. How about this; we finish this job, beat the Tribe back one more time, and then reconsider. Okay?_

His team agreed, some of them rather grudgingly, and he looked at his watch. They'd been out 'training' for just over two hours already, and he was too mentally weary to keep up this charade any longer.

 _Let's pack it in for tonight, gang. Big day tomorrow._

Dejected and nervous, Milo returned his team and made the lonely journey back to his hotel, where Kara was once more relieved to see him safe. Knowing he was under a good deal of mental stress, she had a small plan of her own to help him get back on track;

"I have a surprise, Milo!"

"A...surprise? Uh, thanks, Kara, but I'm really tired right now, and I've got my first battles tomorrow, so…"

"Trust me", she insisted, "This will help."

Milo took a breath and gave in. Kara pulled him into the living room and shoved him down onto the couch before settling in net to him.

"Kara", he protested weakly, "What is this?"

"Just a sec", she waved him off before reaching to the coffee table in front of them, "Here. Bowl of popcorn, and the remote."

"Are we...watching a movie? Thanks, but I can't-"

"I'm not stupid, Milo, it's not a movie. Look", she grabbed the remote herself and flipped the TV on, "I looked up the other Trainers in your group and found all the footage I could of their previous battles! Now you can analyze them just the way you like. I'll be right here with you, as late as you want to stay up, okay?"

"Kara", Milo was overcome with gratitude, "Kara….thank you. This is – I mean, this is _exactly_ what I needed. You're the best."

"Thanks…" Kara's voice softened a bit, "I guess this is also my way of apologizing. You know, for our argument earlier. I know you're just doing what you think is right; I was being selfish and scared."

"No", Milo assured her, "I totally understand your reaction. Honestly I'm not sure about all this myself. I'm going to follow this mission through the way Marcus and Karen have laid it out, and then…well, my team and I have agreed to reconsider our involvement in all this."

A small tear formed in Kara's eye as a fragile smile graced her features;

"Okay. I…I trust you, Milo. I know you'll do the right thing, whatever that is."

Settling gratefully into the couch beside his girlfriend, Milo gave her a gentle kiss, and picked up the remote. He began flipping through the various videos the Performer had found; she'd been remarkably thorough. Kara had found videos of at least a handful of battles from each of his three upcoming opponents, which was not easy considering two of them were virtually unknown Rookies who had only qualified via the entrance exams.

Her hard work to restore Milo's cheer and confidence paid off in full. It was like giving candy to a child with a sweet tooth. He couldn't get enough, and went over every second of footage with a fine-toothed comb. It cheered Kara up, too. Obviously, she didn't bother making much of an effort to understand Milo's furious planning and analysis, but it thrilled her to know that her gesture of kindness, her small offering of love, had elicited exactly the effect she had hoped for. She had helped.

Both young people went to bed later that night feeling refreshed. Tired, certainly, but satisfied and excited for the battles to come.

 **Battle Day Two**

The late morning skies over Stadium 4 were clear blue, with only a few wispy clouds dotted here and there. The breeze was blowing in from the sea, and four Trainers were prepared to duke it out, knowing only two of them would still be in the tournament by the end of the day's battling.

The announcer called them out in seed order. This meant Milo was the first to emerge, grinning and waving, from the tunnel.

"Here he is! The Rookie who has shown he can mix it up with the pros! Fresh out of the storied Jubilife Pokémon Trainer Academy, please welcome...Milo!"

He got a respectable cheer (nothing like the excitement generated by The Hammer the day before) before the announcer kept things moving;

"Next, returning for his second Conference challenge after taking two years to focus on developing his skills; he's tough as nails and as disciplined as they come – please welcome Ansen!"

Ansen was a Fighting-type expert, and he certainly dressed accordingly. His intense expression was perfectly accentuated by his martial arts robe and headband. He made for a hulking, intimidating beast of a man, a comical comparison next to the much smaller Milo.

"And now", the announcer was clearly eager to get through these formalities as quickly as reasonably possible, "Let's meet the third Trainer in Group 12! Hailing from the notoriously strong Veilstone Pokémon College, he will be doing everything he can to put in a good show for his alma mater, put your hands together for...Jackson!"

"Hmph", Amaya grunted, folding her arms over her chest, "Another VPC guy. He looks the part. Almost like him and Damion came off the same assembly line."

It was true. Jackson had the same look in his eye of aggressive confidence, and his eyes narrowed, lingering ever so slightly on Milo – the embodiment of the JPTA's rivalry with his beloved VPC. The pale redhead took his place in line and stared straight ahead.

"Finally, our fourth contender is part of Sunyshore's up-and-coming talent field. He's eager to show the world what he's got on the big stage, let's hear it for Senji!"

Senji was a rather pudgy, dark-skinned boy with a bright face. He waved and smiled excitedly as he all but skipped his way out to join the others.

"Seems like Sunyshore has really been generating better and better Trainers over the last few years", observed Amaya's father, "Or am I imagining that? I'm not used to seeing so many of their folks in the Conference."

"Yeah, they've done a lot of good work", replied Marcus, "I've never seen this Senji kid before, but I think Nova is proof of the progress they've made. I could see her getting as far as the quarter finals this year, with a bit of luck in the bracket. Still, she's the best Sunyshore product in years, which shows you how far that program has left to go if they want to really catch up with Jubilife, Veilstone, and Twinleaf."

This discussion was quickly derailed as the first battle got set up; Milo against Ansen. For all intents and purposes, this looked to be a placement match, nothing more. These two were clearly the best two Trainers in the group; it only remained to see who would qualify first, and who would be second. Still, it could also be the best battle of the group in terms of entertainment value.

"Let's go, Milo!" Kara was in full cheerleader mode, despite never having been a cheerleader in her life.

At last, the time had come;

"Battle...begin!"

"Drake, let's rock!"

"Machamp! To battle!"

Milo was hoping for something of a statement victory in his first battle, but he knew the risks of overconfidence. He instructed his Garchomp accordingly;

 _Get in some big attacks early_ , he advised mentally, _No matter what, though, pull back if he looks like landing a hit. We're looking for a sweep here, if possible, but the win is more important._

 _Big win in round one, coming right up._

With that, the Mach Pokémon launched an unbidden Earthquake which caught Ansen's Machamp off guard.

"Hmph! A cheap shot, Machamp. Make them pay! Ice Punch!"

"Back off, Drake!"

The wily Dragon didn't need to be told twice. He knew better than to toy around with Ice moves. Fortunately, he was more than fast enough to avoid the incoming hit, and Milo countered, falling into his familiar battle rhythm;

"Perfect, Drake. Keep him at bay with Flamethrower."

"Machamp!" Ansen kept his cool brilliantly, and had another play at the ready, "Duck underneath that move! Low Kick!"

"Iron Tail, Drake. Sweep it low."

Milo had done his homework. Thanks to Kara's scouting help, he'd noted Ansen's tendency to use Low Kick as an instant counter attack, and he was ready. It worked perfectly, and Machamp stumbled back, looking less than comfortable, while Drake roared defiantly at his adversary.

"Aha! A superb combination attack! Machamp, Bullet Punch!"

"Nothing fancy, Drake, just block it."

Milo's Garchomp complied brilliantly, using a Stone Edge to nullify the incoming Steel move. True to Milo's usual tricky style, Drake also took the opportunity to slip around Machamp's flank; a maneuver the Jubilife Rookie took full advantage of.

"Perfect. Dragon Claw."

"Machamp, on your right!"

Ansen hadn't called a move, but Machamp's instinct kicked in, born of his years of experience, and he threw a blind Karate Chop out to his right side with two of his four arms.

 _Ow, crap!_

This time, it was Drake stumbling backwards, as the desperate Fighting move struck home. Sensing an opportunity, Ansen made to press his advantage.

"Follow, Machamp! Quickly! Ice Punch!"

"No! Down, Drake!"

It was a close call, but Drake's Dig got him safely out of harm's way in the nick of time. Just as Machamp and Ansen put two and two together, the Garchomp burst from below the field and delivered a huge hit. Just like that, it was done.

"Machamp is unable to continue! The winner is Garchomp; Ansen, your second Pokémon!"

"Hmm! I applaud your skill, young Milo. It seems I must be more indirect. Very well! Medicham! To battle!"

 _Watch it, pal_ , Milo warned his Dragon, _These things can be really slippery. No more showboating, let's just close this out. First step, make him show us something._

"Try a Mud Shot, Drake!"

"Detect! And Shadow Ball!"

 _Ah, shoot!_ Drake could only brace himself as Medicham dodged his attack with insane precision, already launching the Shadow Ball follow-up.

"Quick, up and Dragon Rush!"

He was hoping to counter before Medicham expected another attack, but Ansen had changed his style entirely, and was ready once more. As Drake came screaming across the field, he barked;

"Force Palm!"

Medicham's Fighting move smashed the unfortunate Mach Pokémon brutally into the dirt, and Milo was struggling to find the right adjustment.

"Drake, Slash! Buy some time and get out!"

It wasn't the flashiest of moves, but it did the job. From his prone position on the ground, Drake swung a clawed wing at his opponent, who was forced to hop awkwardly backward to get clear. This bought the half-Ground type enough time and space to scramble to his feet.

 _Okay, he's got counter attacks. Let's make him come to us. Work your way back to me, slowly._

Drake nodded, his eyes narrowed in concentration as he blocked out the pain of the damage that was beginning to rack up. Milo got to work;

"Flamethrower Drake, be ready to dodge!"

Ansen's discipline was impressive. He was determined to wait for another opening to launch a counter-combo and did not take the obvious bait.

"Just dodge, Medicham."

Drake took another surreptitious step backwards as Milo gave his next order;

"Alright, Mud Shot!"

"Another Detect, Medicham! Into Shadow Ball!"

Drake was no idiot, and would never fall for the same trick twice.

"Sidestep, Earthquake."

This time, Medicham's Ghost attack flashed harmlessly past Drake, who was already in motion, firing off the massive Ground move.

Milo had hoped that might be enough, but when the dust cleared both combatants were covered in scratches and scuffs, struggling to keep their wits about them. Drake was just as tired as the Medicham he was struggling to break down.

 _This is…one hell of a workout, Milo…can we wrap this up?_

 _Yeah, let's do it. Stick with me buddy, we're close. All in here, Drake!_

Knowing Detect could only work so many times in quick succession, Milo went for the power play;

"Dragon Rush!"

"Turn him aside, Medicham! Confusion!"

This time, Drake's raw fury won the day. Medicham was too exhausted to muster enough Psychic energy to affect the mighty Garchomp's trajectory, and the Meditate Pokémon took the full brunt of Drake's powerful Dragon move.

As Medicham crumpled, Drake stood proud, roaring his victory to the heavens. Milo could hardly breathe, so shocked was he at his own accomplishment.

"Medicham is unable to continue! Garchomp is the winner, and the battle goes to Milo!"

"Holy...we did it! Drake, that was AMAZING!"

 _Hell yeah, it was! Damn, that was badass! I want more!_

Milo let Drake continue soaking in the cheers of the astonished crowd as he forced himself to calm down and meet Ansen in the middle of the field for a handshake.

"Hmm", the martial arts expert frowned down at him, "That was a thorough and comprehensive beating. You have earned my respect. I shall train even harder to overcome this loss."

"Uh, thanks. That was a great fight, best of luck in your other battles!"

Ansen whirled on his heel and strode briskly from the field. The stadium was in disbelief. Sure, Milo had been given the title of 'top seed', but to actually _sweep_ someone like Ansen? Nobody had expected such a strong showing from the Rookie in his first-ever Conference battle. Still, as they say, the show must go on.

 _Rein in the screaming, big guy. Time to give up the spotlight_ , Milo teased his Garchomp as he returned the triumphant Dragon.

He was still taking deep breaths, trying to control the rush of emotions as he sat back in his staging room to watch Jackson and Senji's battle.

 **Marcus**

"I was worried", admitted Alexander to his oldest son, "When Milo got thrown in against a Fighting specialist. He's got no direct counter for that right now."

"I think that's part of why he chose Drake", answered the Leader, "There's no doubt that Garchomp is his most fearless Pokémon. I watched that thing stare down an Onix back when it was just a Gible, in Milo's first Rookie Challenge. Not a flinch, and he almost won the round, too. It was crazy, and he's only gotten tougher since then."

The second battle, between the Sunyshore kid and the Veilstone product, had gotten underway now. Jackson's Abomasnow was having a hard time dealing with the offensive output of Senji's Gyarados.

"Geez", commented Kara, "For such a cheerful-looking guy, Senji's Gyarados has absolutely no chill whatsoever."

"It's a Gyarados", pointed out Amaya, "What did you expect?"

It became something of a battle of the wills. Jackson and Abomasnow were determined to stand strong under the relentless pressure of Senji's Atrocious Pokémon, but their staying power was being stretched to the absolute limit. Eventually, his resistance was broken, as a furious Dragon Pulse at last put paid to the Frost Tree Pokémon. Still, the victory wasn't as promising for the Sunyshore newcomer as it might have been.

"That was basically a tie", commented Amaya, "Gyarados burned up a _lot_ of energy pounding Abomasnow into the dirt."

Jackson evidently had the same thought, as his Dusknoir very quickly evened the score. Within seconds, both Trainers were down to one Pokémon. It was Dusknoir versus Senji's Bibarel.

"Interesting choice", noted Marcus, "Senji's relying on Bibarel's immunity to Ghost moves, but…well, Bibarel isn't exactly your go-to choice for a powerhouse closer."

Senji very quickly found that not everything was as black-and-white as type immunities. Dusknoir was more than capable of dealing damage to Normal types. Making marvelous use of Thunder Punch, as well as one or two Dark moves, Jackson's Gripper Pokémon turned the half Water type into a punching bag, and the comeback was complete. Jackson beat Senji 2-1.

"Okay", Alexander already had one eye on the score sheets, "That means Milo's in first after Round 1. He got the clean sweep and Jackson only won 2-1. Milo's got one win, and a +2 victory margin. Jackson's tied with one win, but he's only got the +1 differential."

Zoe leaned confidentially over to Kara and said, "Sometimes I swear my husband is convinced he can _think_ his sons to victory."

The only one of them not stressing over the battles was little Myrian.

"Hey", Marcus checked in on his little sister, "You all good?"

"Yup", came her carefree response, as her favorite Buneary doll bounced along the seat in front of her, "Nobody can beat our bro. Milo's the best!"

 **Marcus**

Chuckling at his sister's naïve confidence, Marcus ruffled her hair and excused himself from their box seats.

The next battle was Ansen versus Senji. The Hearthome Leader could see this was only ever going to go one way; Senji was the fourth seed for a reason. He stepped out under the pretext of getting food and a breath of fresh air. Besides, he had something else that needed to be addressed urgently.

He sent a quick text, waited for the expected response, and then made a call, keeping to himself as he did so;

"Karen?" He asked quietly.

"Go ahead", came the curt response.

"It's about the operation."

"News on the Tribe's movements?"

"No. Not since we saw them watching Milo last night. Absol overheard a discussion Milo had with his team just before they quit for the night."

"Why does that matter? He did his job perfectly, what's the problem?"

"He's having second thoughts about the Order."

"Marcus", the Johto Elite's voice was sharp and authoritative, "Get to the point, and be specific. What's going on?"

"I'll be blunt", he answered, "We may have mishandled Milo's blessings. I know we only called him in when we thought we needed to, but he and his team feel like they're being taken advantage of."

"…You're sure about this?"

"Pretty much. All I got was what Absol related to me, and he didn't catch all their conversation, but I can say for sure that it's enough to be concerned. I know the final call is yours, but the way I see it we have to bring him into the inner circle, give him the full big picture, or we'll lose him."

There was silence on the other end of the call. Marcus waited patiently while his shadowy superior considered this. Finally, she answered;

"This is nothing we haven't seen before. I say we let it play out. Until he comes to us about this himself, we take no action. You've had your doubts before too, we all have. He'll get over it. You did."

"I…respectfully disagree", Marcus was careful, but he had to insist, "I got over my doubts because you brought me into the circle with you, Sydney, Grimsley, and Nanu. I'm telling you, unless we add Milo to that list, we could lose him."

"Marcus", Karen was clearly testy at having been challenged, and she almost hissed her rebuttal, "I brought you in because you earned a spot amongst us. Not just through power; you proved you had influence. You were mature and you were a Gym Leader. Milo may have a great deal of Dark power, but at the end of the day he is a 16-year-old Rookie Trainer. I will not bring him into the circle just because he's feeling unhappy. That's final."

Marcus made to respond, but closed his mouth and thought better of it. After taking a second to control himself, he said, in a calm voice;

"Okay. I just wanted to bring this to your attention. Like I said, I know this is ultimately your call. By the way, assuming he gets through his group today, can I tell him not to bait the trap tonight? Surely we can give him one night to celebrate."

"One night", her response was firm, "It would look unrealistic if he was out there right after winning, anyway. He needs to be back out there tomorrow night, though. This is our best shot at breaking the Tribe in…well, maybe ever. We can't lose this."

Karen hung up abruptly, and Marcus was left shaking his head, left with more questions than answers.

 _Sometimes I wonder whether he's right. Are we using him just as a tool in this war? Ugh, I can't think about that right now. There'll be time later for all that._

Still wrapped in his thoughts, he got a fresh bucket of popcorn (evidently a minor popcorn obsession ran in their family) and made his way back to the seats. What he saw on the field truly surprised him.

"Marcus", called his father, "Look at this! Senji's actually giving Ansen the business!"

"Dad", remarked the Leader, "Nobody says 'giving him the business' anymore. What's going on, now?"

"Senji brought a Ghost! He's got a Misdreavus out there wreaking havoc on Ansen's Fighting types!"

"A Misdreavus?" Marcus' curiosity was piqued. Indeed, the Screech Pokémon below seemed to be evenly matched against a Toxicroak.

"Huh. I would've thought Ansen could handle a basic type mismatch, even Ghost on Fighting."

"He's been trying", answered Alexander excitedly, "That Toxicroak's got a couple Dark moves, but Misdreavus is just so slippery! Toxicroak is his second Pokémon, too! Senji already took out Machamp!"

"What? He took out Ansen's Machamp with that Misdreavus? That's nuts!"

All thoughts of Karen and the Order vanished as the Dark type Leader glued his eyes to the battle below. The pressure inside the stadium was palpable; nobody could quite believe what they were seeing. If anyone was to cause an upset in this group, the most likely option would have been for Ansen to upset Milo. Instead, he was fighting not to get swept by some fourth seed nobody!

It was going to be close either way. Misdreavus had put in an astoundingly superb load of work, but was clearly exhausted from the effort. Toxicroak was also on its last legs, glaring at the infuriating little Ghost who had pushed it to the brink.

"End this, Toxicroak!" Ansen roared, "Sludge Bomb!"

"Get out of there!" Senji was clearly frantic, "One more Psybeam, Misdreavus! I know you can!"

With a scream of effort befitting her name, the little Screech Pokémon hauled herself out of harm's way and fired off a respectable Psybeam that caught the Toxic Frog squarely in the chest. The doubly super effective hit was enough to send Ansen's second Pokémon crashing to the field, unconscious.

An explosion of noise broke out before the referee even made the call. Milo's sweep had been impressive, but not _nearly_ as shocking as this! Senji, the fourth seed who had lost lamely to Jackson in the first round, had just swept Ansen! Group 12 had just been blown wide open, with three battles left to come.

With all the disbelief and shock still echoing through the crowd, the energy was pulsing as Milo and Jackson squared up for their battle. If Ansen could be swept by Senji, what else was possible? Could Milo be the next favorite to fall? Was Jackson strong enough to pull off a second consecutive miracle? The two met in the middle of the field for their handshake;

"Classic matchup", commented Jackson, "JPTA and the VPC. You may be a Jubilife snob, Milo, but I have to give you mad props for kicking Damion Parr's ass. Always hated that jerk; I was so glad when he graduated and was finally gone."

"Uh, sure thing", Milo wasn't sure how to take the rather backhanded compliment, "Best of luck, I guess. Let's make it a good one."

This, it turned out, might have been too much to hope for. It was a bit of a buzzkill for the crowd when Milo and Azura obliterated Jackson's Dusknoir in the first round.

"Yikes", snorted Amaya, "Milo's taking this chump to school. If that Dusknoir couldn't make a dent, I don't know what the hell he expects this Ambipom to do."

As she spoke, Azura commenced running the unfortunate Long Tail Pokémon ragged. Naturally, Jackson's Normal type should have been much faster, but with Milo's Umbreon peppering it with attacks from every possible angle, there was simply nowhere to go.

After another minute or two of desperate flailing from Jackson and Ambipom, the VPC Trainer unwittingly gave Milo the perfect window to end the fight;

"Ambipom, make it stop moving! Astonish!"

"There it is, girl. Pursuit, Dark Pulse."

The neatly executed combo left a battered Ambipom in the dirt, unable to get up. Milo had swept Jackson with almost militaristic efficiency; Azura had taken barely any damage whatsoever. This was, of course, very impressive, but nowhere near as exciting as Senji's sweep over Ansen. Still, Milo got a respectable cheer as the 2-0 score was made official. Only two battles remained now, and everyone was making frenzied hypothetical calculations, trying to determine who had the best chance of claiming the coveted top 2 spots. Milo was firmly in the lead, the only one with two wins, but the race for second was a bit more complicated.

"So", Amaya was having trouble fitting the puzzle together, "Milo's guaranteed a spot, right? No matter what?"

"Umm", Marcus, his brow furrowed, double checked his mental calculations before answering, "Yes. He's not guaranteed to be first, though. It would take a miracle, but if Senji sweeps him, they'd both be 2-1, and Senji would be at +3, and Milo would only have a +2, so he'd be first and Milo would go through in second."

"Senji won't sweep him", Amaya's father said disdainfully, "All due respect to the kid, his win over Ansen was impressive as all get out, but Milo won't let it happen again."

"Does that mean Senji can't get second?" Kara was rooting for her boyfriend, of course, but she was also partial to an underdog, "I mean, if Milo beats him, is he done for?"

"Well, 'done for' might be a bit dramatic", chuckled Marcus, "But no, he could still go through. Even if Milo sweeps him, it would depend on what happens between Ansen and Jackson. Basically, if Jackson can pull off the same upset that Senji did, he gets second place. But he absolutely must win. If Ansen wins, Senji gets second, no matter what."

The Performer's head was spinning, but she just about understood the situation. What mattered to her was that she could root for the underdog and still cheer for Milo in his third battle.

"Alright", she nodded, "I guess I'm rooting for Milo and Ansen, then. Let's go!"

First up in the third pair of battles was Milo versus Senji. Milo had, of course, been running all the possible scoring scenarios through his head as well during the break. He knew the pressure was more or less off at this point; he could go for a statement win, and the worst case scenario was that he got second instead of first.

As the two met in the middle for the customary pre-battle handshake, Senji gave him a jovial smile;

"Hey, you've been great! This should be a lot of fun!"

"You too", Milo answered, "Let's give the people a show, huh?"

Once the two were settled, the referee got things started, and Milo gave his third team member their Conference debut;

"Ferra, you're in!"

"Come on, Bibarel!"

 _Well_ , Milo noted immediately, _I know what his plan is. If he's not leading with that Gyarados, it'll certainly be his closer. Works for me. Ferra, this should be straightforward, but conserve your energy; the second round will be the real battle._

 _You got it, Papa. This is the big stage, let's light it up._

"Ferra, lead with Dragon Pulse."

"Rollout, Bibarel!"

Ferra, knowing Milo's usual trickery was afoot once more, had already canceled her fake Dragon Pulse and easily sidestepped the first pass of Rollout, waiting for Milo's command to fire off a counter.

"Snipe him. Aura Sphere."

The super effective hit sent the Beaver Pokémon spiraling through the air, and Milo moved in to close out the round as quickly as possible.

"Follow him, Ferra. Force Palm, then try a Focus Blast."

"You have to get up, Bibarel! Come on, go for a Headbutt!"

Ferra needed no command to dodge this simple tactic. She hardly even paused as she spun away from Headbutt to land a Force Palm to the flank of Senji's battler. Bibarel went flying once again, and Ferra took careful aim before letting loose a monstrous Focus Blast. These were much harder to aim than Aura Sphere, but Milo's self-appointed daughter took great pride in her precision, and her aim was true. After three big Fighting-type hits, Bibarel was down for the count.

"Whew", Senji shook his head, "That was rough. Alright, Gyarados, let's show them what we can do!"

 _Called it_ , thought Milo, _You good, girl?_

 _Hmph_ , Milo's Lucario was not impressed by the ferocious scream of the Atrocious Pokémon, _This bully's not as scary as he thinks he is. Let's prove it, Papa._

"Gyarados, show them your Hurricane!"

Milo narrowed his eyes in concentration, and decided to go out on a limb;

"Ferra, stay where you are."

 _It's going to hit you_ , he warned her, _but when it does you'll be in perfect position to strike back. Okay?_

 _No problem. Tank it and hit back. I feel like Aunt 'Maya doing it this way._

Sure enough, the big Flying type move roared across the field and did its best to batter Ferra, who stood strong.

"Now", yelled Milo over the howling winds of Hurricane, "Dragon Pulse! A big one!"

Senji's Gyarados roared in pain and surprise as the mighty Dragon move came blasting out of the center of the Hurricane to land a direct hit.

"No!" Senji was unprepared for such aggressive tactics, and struggled to respond;

"Uh, Gyarados! Use Hydro Pump!"

"Get around him, Ferra, and find an opening for Shadow Claw."

Ferra got out of Hydro Pump's path not a moment too soon, and Senji was left flummoxed yet again as his big Water type took a Shadow Claw to the side from the slippery Aura Pokémon.

"Thrash!"

 _Crap!_ Milo should have expected such a move from a Gyarados, but he'd been caught flat-footed, and Ferra was walloped by a flailing tail, and landed hard.

 _You alright, Ferra?_

 _Heh, I'm fine Papa_ , grunted the half-Steel type, _It'll take more than that to keep me down._

Still, Hurricane and Thrash were both powerful moves, and Milo could hear the effort in Ferra's voice as she hauled herself upright. Gyarados was still thrashing about dangerously close by, so Milo switched back to long range efforts;

"Get out, Ferra! Quick Attack to me, then another Dragon Pulse!"

His quick thinking was enough to get Ferra away from danger, and also to bring down Gyarados once and for all. As the massive Pokémon hit the dirt, the applause from the audience was almost disappointed. Sure, Milo had recorded a third impressive sweep, and that was great, but…many people had been hoping for another big shock victory from Senji. Nonetheless, Senji himself was brimming with excitement as usual;

"That was a fantastic match", he vigorously shook Milo's hand, "Your Lucario is absolutely stunning! You'll do great in the bracket, I know it."

"Thanks", Milo grinned, "Maybe I'll see you there, depending on what happens next."

"We'll see", laughed the Sunyshore boy, "I'm just thrilled to have been here, really. I thought it would take me years to earn a spot."

These niceties were all well and good, but it was no secret that the upcoming matchup between Ansen and Jackson was the real difference-maker. The last battle of Group 12 had the biggest implications by far.

Milo settled in to watch it play out back in his staging room. Luckily, the room was big enough that he could release his whole team to watch with him.

"Heh", Milo laughed, already drawing conclusions as the first Pokémon were released – Jackson's Dusknoir and Ansen's Toxicroak, "Ansen read him like a book."

 _I mean, it wasn't hard to figure_ , reasoned Drake, _Anybody who watched his fights knows Jackson will always count on that Dusknoir to come in for him. Only makes sense for Ansen to bring out the Toxicroak with Dark moves._

Sure enough, Ansen got straight to work using his Toxic Frog Pokémon to nullify Jackson's heavy-handed Dusknoir.

 _Jackson looks kind of silly_ , commented Ferra, _Flailing around like that. Granted, Ansen's already lost to one Ghost today, he'd never get beat by another one._

All in all, it was a remarkably poor display of strategy from Jackson, and his Dusknoir paid the price, losing the first round convincingly.

"Okay, fine", spat the VPC graduate, "Let's call in Alakazam!"

"Really?" Milo was in disbelief, "He had an _Alakazam_ on his team, and he went for the Dusknoir first? That's pretty dumb, he deserves to lose for that."

Still, sending out an Alakazam at any point against a team of Fighting Pokémon was better than not using it at all.

 _Why is that Toxicroak being so aggressive?_ Aurora couldn't quite figure out what Ansen was playing at, as he directed his half-Poison type on an all-out offensive blitz.

"He knows Toxicroak can't beat an Alakazam when it's already tired. He's hoping to do as much damage as possible before going down. It's a kamikaze play. Just the kind of thing I'd expect from someone as disciplined as Ansen. Team first, and all that."

The round was over quickly, though Ansen's battler did indeed manage to put a dent in Jackson's Psi Pokémon. It all came down to this, then. Group 12 would be decided by Jackson's Alakazam and Ansen's Gallade.

 _Wow_ , muttered Jet as the round kicked off at a blistering pace, _Seeing two Psychics go at it really makes your head spin. Teleport battles are hard to watch._

Evidently, the cameramen agreed. After a frenetic few seconds of trying to find the combatants, only to have them Teleport away again, the live footage reverted to a simple full-field view. Gallade was one of the few Fighting types who could fight an Alakazam without fear. In fact, the Blade Pokémon had the statistical advantage, according to Milo.

"Alakazam are powerhouses", he explained to his team as the bout continued, "but their physical defense is pretty bad. Gallade specialize in physical attack and move variety, so Ansen's got the upper hand here."

The battle soon turned into a game of chase. Jackson was desperate for his Pokémon to get enough space and time to launch his big special Psychic attacks, and Ansen was equally determined to keep hounding the Psi Pokémon, and coming in close for moves like Night Slash and Fury Cutter.

Eventually, experience shone through. As Alakazam teleported away yet again, Jackson could only yell;

"Come on! Keep going! Psychic! Just hit it!"

"This is it, Gallade", responded Ansen, "One more Night Slash."

Jackson's Psychic turned frantically, looking for its target, but it took an instant too long to find the Blade Pokémon, who had appeared directly behind its opponent. The Dark move left Alakazam on the ground, out for the count.

The announcer could barely be heard, as the crowd erupted. Not only had the final match proved to be a thrilling battle, but Ansen's victory meant that fourth-seeded Senji would finish in second place behind Milo. The big screens confirmed this. Milo sat back in both relief and disbelief.

 _I did it_ , he thought numbly, _I swept my group. I'm through into the bracket rounds. I'm…I'm one battle away from fighting in THE Lily Stadium._

It seemed too good to be true, but…true it was. After a couple minutes celebrating privately with his Pokémon, Milo gathered his things and left to rejoin his friends and family.

His mind was still in a blur that evening. Just as they had the day before, to celebrate Amaya's success, the whole group went out for dinner, rehashing Milo's wins in all their glorious detail. It should have been a much bigger deal, really, but the news was all about Senji's massive win over Ansen, and his subsequent qualification for the bracket. As a result, Milo's sweep of the group, having not lost a single Pokémon through all three battles, was almost a side note. Among those networks and media outlets that did mention it, some still wondered darkly at how 'convenient' it was that Milo, of all people, should get three perfect wins out of such a tumultuous group.

The Jubilife Rookie himself didn't pay this much attention, though. Really, he was just thrilled that Marcus had told him he didn't have to go out and bait the trap for the PsyForce Tribe that night. Before too long, the bracket matchups for the round of 32 were revealed, bringing an unexpected coincidence with them.

"How about that", laughed the JPTA graduate, "I'm fighting one of Amaya's classmates, and she's fighting one of mine!"

In fact, Milo was fighting one of the girls he'd met in Twinleaf before Amaya joined him on the road – Cassy, the loudmouth. Amaya, in turn was fighting one of Milo's old classmates; a girl named Rin. She was nice enough, not one of the ones Milo had particularly disliked, but Rin was as quiet as they came. She often went hours without talking, content to just sit and watch the world happen around her.

There was a one day break between Battle Days Two and Three. With 32 Trainers left in the tournament, each of the eight side stadiums would have two battles on Battle Day Three for the round of 32. Unfortunately, Milo and Amaya's battles were scheduled for the same morning slot. Kara and Milo and Amaya's families were forced to formulate a rather zany plan to keep track of both battles simultaneously. First, however, they were tasked with getting the two Rookies through the break day without popping from sheer nerves.

 **Break Day**

"Whoever came up with this 'break day' is an idiot", complained Amaya bluntly.

"Well, focus on planning, then", answered her father encouragingly, "That's what the day is meant for, after all."

"I tried, Dad. Can't get into it. I never thought I'd get this freaked out. Guess the Conference does a real number on you, after all."

Milo wasn't faring much better under Kara's watchful eye. He, after all, had to be ready for Cassy as well as the potential of being ambushed by the PsyForce Tribe that evening. Karen had insisted that they stick to the plan and send Milo out on the evening of break day. The young Performer was, obviously, not pleased about this. However, after her conversation with Milo previously, she was ready to swallow her…distaste for the plan and support him through it regardless.

"Alright", she was working hard to disguise her trembling hands as she saw him off that evening, "Go out. Do your thing. M-make sure you come back to me, alright? Promise me, Milo."

"I promise", he answered quietly.

"G-good", Kara forced a smile, "After all, I'm in charge of getting you to bed on time, and your mother will have my head if I don't take care of you. Now go on, Milo."

"I'm going", he replied, his head down, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Unbeknownst to the two Rookies, Marcus watched, already disguised by his Order of Shadows uniform, from a nearby rooftop.

 _That's a feeling I know a bit too well_ , he mused, _How many times have I had to have that same conversation with Dee? It never feels right to leave, but…that's what I have to do. It's my responsibility to the Order._

 _Focus_ , came Absol's voice in his master's head, _Milo's on his way out._

So, for the third time, Marcus followed his brother, silent as the shadows for which his Order was named. Just as the first two times, Milo went out to the same patch of field, following the same path through the same woods. A small buzz drew the Leader's attention to his watch. It was a text from Karen;

'I'm in position', it said.

'Same', he replied quickly. Now…now it was just a waiting game. Within minutes, a crack of a branch nearby made Marcus' body stiffen up. From his vantage point high up in a tree just inside the now-dark woods, the Order of Shadows lieutenant watched with eyes sharper than a Staraptor as a PsyForce grunt picked his way rather clumsily through the brush.

'Visual contact', he texted Karen, 'Radio silence.'

This was to ensure she didn't try to text him back; for fear that the buzz of his watch might give his position away. For the second time, then, he stared almost unblinkingly at the Tribe grunt, who was in turn watching Milo as closely as possible.

Unaware of any of this, Milo was nonetheless tense as he continued his routine of fake drills with his team. The blind standoff lasted about thirty breathless minutes. Then, without warning, the PsyForce grunt snapped his fingers quietly, and vanished. Presumably, one of the many Psychic Pokémon that served the Tribe had just locked onto him and teleported him back to their base of operations.

After waiting a precautionary five minutes, Marcus went ahead and texted his younger brother an all-clear message. As exhausted as Milo no doubt was mentally, there was no point keeping him out any longer.

Another night had come and gone, and their dangerous game would have to continue.

 **Battle Day Three**

Kara and Milo's family (except for Marcus) joined the throng of people packed into Stadium 3 for Milo's morning battle against Cassy of Twinleaf.

"Feels kind of weird to be seeing someone from Twinleaf that's not 'Maya", commented the Performer.

Meanwhile, Marcus had accompanied Amaya's parents to Stadium 7 to watch The Hammer take on Rin, of the JPTA.

As soon as they got to their seats, Marcus called Kara. This was their 'master plan' to keep track of both young Conference contestants at the same time; a phone call, over which Marcus could narrate Amaya's battle and Kara could provide live updates on Milo.

"Hey", said Kara, "You good over there? We all good? We just got to our seats over here; the place is almost totally full."

"We're good here", responded the Gym Leader, "I think 'Maya still drew the bigger crowd; they were turning people away at the gates when we showed up."

For the first two knockout rounds, substitutions were only allowed after a Trainer had lost their first Pokémon. These first knockout battles were 3 versus 3. The logistics, pomp and circumstance surrounding the battles took a little bit, but before too long, the opening Pokémon were on the field.

"It's Azura up against a Beautifly over here", reported Kara.

"Looks like Milo will have to counter the status game then", answered Marcus, "Amaya's got Granite versus an Exploud here, she should take it as long as this thing doesn't-"

"Beautifly down!"

"What?" Marcus was incredulous, "Already?"

"Yeah", Kara sounded rather shocked herself, "Milo went freaking nuts on this thing from the get-go, and it just crumpled. He was probably trying to not give it a chance to get those status moves off."

"Geez", Marcus shook his head and updated the Performer on Amaya's progress, "Looks like Granite will take this one soon. I was worried that the Exploud might have some Fighting moves that would've been trouble, but that doesn't seem to be the – oh wow!"

"Wow what? Oh, by the way, Azura's fighting a Staraptor now."

"A Staraptor? Shouldn't be a problem, Milo will just keep it away and beat it from distance. This Exploud just landed a huge Hammer Arm on Granite. Ah, but…! There, she did it! Granite wins! That was one hell of an Iron Tail!"

As he waited for Rin to release her second fighter, Marcus listened to Kara's best efforts at battle commentary from Stadium 3;

"Uh, looks like Staraptor can't really get close to Azura, like you said. Shoot, though, that was…umm, that was Aerial Ace? I think? Azura took a hit-"

"Granite versus a Heracross now, by the way. Continue."

"Heracross? That's a buggy one, right? Anyway, yeah, Azura took a hit, but it looks like she's okay. Yeah, they hit back. Kind of a defensive thing going on right now."

"That'll suit Milo just fine", responded the older sibling, "Looks like Granite might be on the ropes, though. Heracross is fast and full of Fighting moves. There's a Brick Break…come on, 'Maya…nah, that's a Close Combat, too. Not looking-"

"Azura wins! Staraptor just took a Giga Impact to the face and went down!"

"Sweet, Milo might sweep that. Crap, Granite just went down over here. Heracross generated too much offensive pressure for 'Maya to deal with."

"Okay. So, then 'Maya is…tied, right? Oh, okay, Azura's got a Golduck to beat over here. It's Cassy's last one."

"A Golduck? Seems like a bad choice, I'd back Milo to sweep that. Anyway, yeah, 'Maya is tied, 1-1, and now it's Leon versus that Heracross. Looking good so far, he can actually match this thing's speed."

There was a brief respite as both battles settled into something of a slow patch. Marcus soon spoke again over the chaotic phone call;

"Great…yes…Yes! That was brilliant, 'Maya just went full Milo-style on this thing! Leon beat Heracross. Rin is down to her last Pokémon here. It's…it's a Purugly. This should be interesting. How's Milo doing against that Golduck?"

"Uh, good", said Kara as assertively as she could. Actually she couldn't really tell; it was mostly her optimism talking, "He's doing great. They've kind of gone back and forth. This Golduck doesn't know how to stay down, and Azura's tired from the first two fights."

"I'd bet she is", Marcus thought aloud, "But Milo isn't allowed to switch her out, since she's the first one for him. Leon versus Purugly shouldn't take too long one way or the other, it's turning into a bit of a slugfest."

"Oh!" Kara interrupted, and Marcus heard a huge roar from the crowd on the Performer's end of the phone call, "WOO! Milo won! He did it – a perfect sweep! Yes, Milo! Oh, MAN, that was awesome!"

"Alright!" Marcus related the news to Amaya's family on his end before updating Kara on Leon's fight with Rin's Purugly, "Dang, this one's fast. I guess that makes sense, it is a Purugly, but…wow, he's quick. Come on, 'Maya, use that Shock Wave! Shock Wave!"

The Gym Leader's heart was racing. There was pure, jubilant chaos from the other end of the call as everyone in Stadium 3 lost their collective minds over Milo's elimination round sweep of Cassy. Meanwhile, a battered and bruised Leon was just holding his own against a determined Purugly that was also tired, but looked outraged that Amaya's Luxray hadn't yet gone down.

At last, Amaya thought to use the move that both Marcus and her father had now been screaming franticly down at her for almost a minute;

"Leon, he can't dodge Shock Wave!"

Rin, the only Trainer more stoic and silent than Amaya herself, said only, "Feint Attack."

"Turn and Ice Fang, Leon!"

Purugly was caught out this time, and was on its last legs. The Tiger Cat Pokémon tried to escape with a makeshift Quick Attack, but Amaya could almost taste victory, and refused to let it slip away;

"Thunderbolt, Leon! This is it!"

The lightning strike hit home, and despite its best efforts, Rin's Normal type couldn't keep itself upright. It dropped to the field, and the battle was over. Amaya had won, by a comfortable 3-1.

"YEEESSS!"

Now it was Marcus' turn to scream unintelligibly into the phone call. After a solid five seconds of incoherent yelling he calmed down enough to fill in the anxious Kara;

"She did it! Yes, 'Maya, I _told you_ Shock Wave was the way to go! She won, 'Maya won! The Hammer is in the pre-quarters!"

Down on the field, Amaya could hardly believe it herself. Her handshake with Rin had been short and silent, and the JPTA graduate had long since vacated the field, leaving the Twinleaf star alone as the fans chanted down at her;

"NOBODY BEATS THE HAAAAMMEEEERRR! NOBODY BEATS THE HAAAAAMMMEEEEERRR!"

"THE HAMMER STRIKES AGAIN! THE HAMMER STRIKES AGAIN!"

-o-

That evening, over their now-customary celebratory dinner, the whole group was delighted to see Milo finally get the attention he deserved from the news outlets covering the Conference.

Evidently, anyone who could get through four consecutive Lily of the Valley Conference battles without losing a single Pokémon merited some discussion. Milo was in fact the only person in the Conference who had yet to lose a single round. The big question ringing around every analyst and reporter was 'Milo and the Hammer – the dream Rookie final?'

"Man", commented Amaya, "If we both keep winning, it'll happen."

"Crazy, huh?" Milo could hardly believe it, "We talked about it so long ago, but…now it's, like, a real thing. I can't even –it doesn't seem like real life. Wow…the Conference final. Still, that's assuming we both keep these wins up. There's a lot of battling between here and there."

"Don't forget it, either", chimed in Alexander, "You two have some real competitors left to get through before the final. Nova and Damion are still in it, not to mention a few semi-pros, that Ark guy from Eterna, and Max – who's already beaten Amaya once."

This was to be their new focus. This victory was huge – it was proof that they could perform when the pressure was on, when the stakes were win-or-go-home. Yet it was still only the first step. It was only going to get harder the more wins they racked up.

As the delirium of their latest triumphs began to fade at last, and their minds turned towards the next round, Marcus pulled his brother aside, with something of a heavy heart;

"I just heard from Karen, bro. She wants you out there again. Tonight."

Milo's bright smile disappeared in a heartbeat.

"…Tonight? Like…right now?"

Marcus could only nod, feeling his heart sink as he watched his brother's mood go from great to bad to worse in just a few short seconds.

"Okay", said Milo eventually, "Let me, uh, let me just tell Kara. She won't like it, but – she at least deserves to know I'm going."

Marcus nodded silently.

 _How can I do this to him? To both of them? They don't deserve this_.

The Gym Leader was mentally berating himself, but the Order operative in him wouldn't let him turn back. This needed to be done.

Kara, as expected, was furious at the news.

"Milo, tonight's a victory night! They can't make you do this! It's getting ridiculous! Does Karen understand that you're literally battling to earn a contract here? You're putting everything at risk if you go out there!"

"It sucks", he agreed, "But I really just want this to be over, and this is the fastest way to be done with it. Besides, even if the Tribe does finally make their move, I should be protected. Karen and Marcus will both be on hand to handle the fighting. I'm just the bait, that's it."

Kara wanted to argue. She _really_ wanted to argue, to yell, to scream in frustration at the injustice of this ridiculous operation, but…

 _It's not Milo's fault. I promised I would support him through to the end of this thing. Okay._

"Alright", she said quietly, not meeting her boyfriend's eyes, "Go. Do it. I'll be here when you get back. And you _will_ get back. You hear me, Milo?"

She was trying (and failing) to disguise her tears, and she shuddered at the warmth of Milo's arms, which wrapped tenderly around her trembling form;

"Loud and clear", he whispered in her ear, "I promise."

So, for the fourth time, Milo made his way out to the clearing where he pretended to train with his team.

'In position', Marcus texted Karen, 'All clear so far.'

She replied quickly; everything was fine at her position as well.

As before, it took a while for a single PsyForce Tribe grunt to show up, slinking over to the edge of the woods to observe Milo's 'training'. Marcus watched the man; hardly daring to breathe. Hopefully, tonight would be another nothing night, and they could let this whole thing slide under the rug for one more day.

 _Come on, you bastard_ , he pleaded silently for the Tribe grunt to just leave, _Don't do it. Not tonight. Go back. Come on, please…_

Suddenly, there was a small 'pop', out in front of the concealed Leader.

His eyes snapped to the spot, and time seemed to slow to a crawl. The grunt was gone, but now there were two Pokémon in his place – a Mr. Mime and a Medicham. Marcus was already in motion, leaping down out of his tree, but as he watched, another pair of the same Pokémon appeared next to the first two…and then another pair…and another…

"ABSOL, NOW!" Marcus screamed, desperate to gain control of this before it all spiraled out of control, his heart in his throat, "MILO, RUN!"

Deep down, even as he sprung into combat, Marcus knew it was too late.

His senses sharpened by adrenaline, Marcus saw his younger brother's eyes shoot wide open in fear, as the Leader's feet hit the ground and pushed off immediately towards the Psychic Pokémon setting up a wall in front of him. The line of Mr. Mime and Medicham now extended a good fifty meters to either side of Marcus and Karen's hiding spots, cutting them both off from Milo's team.

Only now did the two Shadows see the brilliance of the PsyForce Tribe's plan. The pair of them had been scouted and tracked just as thoroughly as Milo himself, and now a wall of Medicham brimming with Fighting moves, along with a plethora of half-Fairy typed Mr. Mimes prevented them from reaching Milo, who was quickly surrounded by not one but _three_ of the terrifying Mind Queens.

Everything had come unraveled so quickly, all Marcus could think to do was throw everything he and Absol had at these Psychic freaks, and pray that it was enough;

"NOOO! COME ON, ABSOL!"

He was fighting as hard as he could, preparing already to trigger his own blessing, but the Mr. Mimes had generated some kind of Dark-resistant barrier, likely made of Fairy energy, which repelled every attack he could muster.

 **Milo**

He was helpless. Trapped.

 _How did I know_ , he thought grimly as he watched his brother and Karen quickly and efficiently hemmed in, _How did I know it would come to this? Every damn time._

There it was. One Mind Queen emerged from seemingly nowhere, grinning evilly down at him. Now a second joined her. Now there was a third. Three Mind Queens and their Pokémon against him, his Dark Aura, and his team.

 _You_ , said one of the Psychic women, _You are doomed, little Shade._

"Come and get me then", he growled in return, "You may have trapped me, but I'll be damned if I'm going down without a fight!"

 _Quickly sisters_ , hissed another one of the freaky Tribe bosses, _Take him. Before the Dark powers are awakened._

They began to ready some kind of joint attack. Their intent was clear; they were going to take Milo out for good before he had the chance to resisit.

 _Milo_ , Azura's voice was hollow, but desperate, _Milo, do it. There's no choice, you have to trigger them now. It's the only way._

For one long second, Milo fought himself, afraid to surrender his conscious self to the two Dark legendary Pokémon. Azura, however, was right. He knew there really was no other way out of this. After all their careful planning, Marcus and Karen were stuck, unable to rescue him. He had only one option.

Reaching back into himself, Milo found the power he dreaded to use.

 _Do it._

 **Author's Note:**

 **Oh my goodness, it's finished. This is the most intense chapter yet. Hopefully that's a good thing. I rather like the way it turned out, but I could also see an argument for me having overdone it a bit. Hopefully it's not too rushed. It's supposed to feel kind of hectic, we're building up to the big finale here, but I also tried to keep it well-paced. The last third or so of this was written in one huge burst under the influence of quite a bit of coffee, so…**

 **In all seriousness, I'm asking in a special way for reviewer thoughts, especially on the many battles in this chapter. This is the Conference, so there's only going to me more battles from here to the end, and I want to make sure they're as good as possible! There are over a dozen battles in this chapter, all done in varying amounts of detail and in different styles. I tried my best on all of them, but realistically not all of them will be great. Please, please, PLEASE tell me which ones you likes/disliked and why! That way, when I write the big ones coming up, I can stick to things that are tested and true and reader approved! So, did you like the variety? Were the simultaneous knockout battles too much? Would you have rather seen full detail on all the fights? Tell me, please! I can't wait to hear your thoughts! This is pretty much your last chance to help me get the battles right!**

 **Another important thing I want to try: I don't think of Milo as one story. I already mentioned I'm plotting a sequel, and I put up the Azura backstory one-shot. That said – there are so many interesting stories surrounding Milo and Co. that could be told! I don't have time to do a fraction of what I wish I could with this world, so if you fancy yourself a writer, feel free to help me out! Contribute to the Milo-verse! How did Marcus get to be a Gym Leader? How did the Order get started? What about the rise of Ziron? Tell me about Alexander's adventures before he and Zoe settled down in Sunyshore! So many things that could be done! All I ask is that you toss me a brief mention if you use my characters in any way. In fact, if you PM me to let me know about it, I'll gladly consult, or beta-read, or help brainstorm, or just nod approvingly, or whatever.**

 **Alright, I've run out of words. Finally, right? If you made it this far, you're a real champ. Pat yourself on the back. Alright, readers: thank you from the bottom of my heart for your readership. I mean that. I also don't own Pokémon. Have a brilliant day today. Thanks again. Ciao.**

 **-Nano**


	27. Chapter 27 - The Conference (Part 2)

Chapter 27 - The Conference (Part 2)

 **Marcus**

The last ten seconds had been the worst of his life. One instant he'd been carefully watching a single PsyForce Tribe grunt. Then, before he could register what was happening, one grunt was replaced by dozens upon dozens of Mr. Mime and Medicham, cutting him off from his younger brother. Milo was now stranded, alone, with three of the Tribe's five Mind Queens bearing down on him.

"NO! COME ON, ABSOL!"

Marcus and his loyal Absol threw every attack they could come up with at the blocking Pokémon nearest their position, but to no avail. Desperate, panicking, Marcus almost immediately made to trigger his blessing of Zoroark to make absolutely certain that he could get to Milo in time…

"Stop", said a voice he recognized, "It's too late."

Karen's hand clasped the back of his shoulder. Still in the heat of battle, Marcus whirled to face her, but she cut him off, pointing;

"Marcus, look."

As the two experienced Shadows backed instinctively away from the Psychic Pokémon impeding them, the Hearthome Leader's eyes went wide. Through the wall, he saw a massive Dark sphere engulf the space where he knew Milo and the Mind Queens were.

He knew exactly what that meant. It meant Milo had triggered his blessings. It meant his brother had been forced to sacrifice everything.

It meant they had failed.

The Leader fell to his knees, weak at the sight before him. As the ominous Dark power grew and grew, and began rumbling and trembling, even the PsyForce Pokémon in front of them wavered fearfully.

 _Marcus_ , Absol's voice was urgent, _we need to get back. We're not safe here, you know what's coming. I hate it too, but Karen's right. It's already begun and there's nothing you can do now._

Suddenly, a few of the Psychic Pokémon were blasted outwards. From this new hole in the Psychic wall, six brave, loyal, and distraught Pokémon came sprinting out. It was Milo's team.

 **Azura**

"Come on!" Blaze's Heat Wave had cleared the path for them, and the Infernape urged the group forward as Drake and Jet guarded the team's flanks,"We have to get clear! Azura, let's go!"

"NO!"Azura's voice was almost crazed with grief as she ran, "We can't leave! I won't leave him!"

"'Zura", came a tearful response from Aurora as the team passed by Marcus in the mad dash away from the sight of Milo's latest Dark explosion, "'Zura, we d-don't have a ch-choice. He wouldn't want us to stay. He wouldn't want to hurt us"

Azura was still screaming, desperate to turn and do _something_ , and Jet and Drake were forced to almost literally drag her away, with Aurora running close behind her, pushing her forward. Eventually, the shiny Umbreon stopped fighting and ran along in silence, stunned and crying. None of them could quite comprehend just how quickly their dreams had come crashing down around them.

At last, the team's desperate sprint came to a gradual halt, as they got far enough away to avoid the fallout of Milo's blessings. When these blessings had first started, all those months ago, Milo's power had been limited to his enemies, but as that power grew his ability to control and direct it diminished. Yveltal and Zoroark no longer bothered to distinguish friend from foe. It was heartbreaking, but Milo's team, his friends, had no choice but to flee.

As those six Pokémon came to a stop together, up on a hilltop overlooking the scene they so dreaded, Azura collapsed in tears of rage.

"Milo…."

"We all hate this", Drake spoke up grimly, "But you know we can't do anything until it's over."

Below them, the sea of Dark energy was roiling and rippling with power, obscuring their view of the horrors going on inside.

"One thing's for sure", came Jet's hollow tone, the Floatzel's chest heaving from the long sprint, "Those psychic freaks are dead. Nothing could survive that."

"Papa…" Ferra was weeping quietly, kneeling beside Azura, "You have to make it. We'll come and get you. As soon as it's over, we'll find you. Just be okay, Papa…"

The awful scene stretched on and on, as the seconds ticked heavily by. The pulsing ball of Darkness continuously expanded and contracted, like a living, breathing organism of pure black energy.

All that the distraught Pokémon atop that solemn hill could do was to watch, and pray that their Trainer could pull through this ordeal.

Their silent, fearful vigil lasted almost ten full minutes. Then, at last, the Dark power began to fade, leaving a literal crater in its wake. The earth had been churned, the plants uprooted, and some patches were scorched, blackened in strange and eerie patterns. It was a harrowing scene, to say the least. There was no sign of the three Psychic women – they had been utterly destroyed, obliterated by the horrific Dark power that consumed everything it touched.

As soon as they dared, Milo's team rushed back onto the scene. They found that the ground Milo's power had covered was dead and cold, as though the very life of the space had been sucked away. In all likelihood, this was Yveltal's destructive work.

Disregarding this, Milo's Pokémon picked their way rapidly across the blasted terrain, down into the crater. There, in the very center of the chaotic remnants, lay Milo himself.

"Milo", Azura was the first to rush to his side, "Milo, can you hear me? Milo! Milo, please!"

He looked deathly pale. His eyes were open, but glazed over, staring unseeingly upwards into the night sky.

"Wh-what do we do?" Aurora began to visibly hyperventilate at the terrifying sight, "He's out, he's not answering! I don't know what to do, I don't know how-"

"Aurora, hush." Azura had steeled her mind, and took charge as the de facto team leader.

"I know it's scary", she counseled her young teammate, "but we need to focus. Milo's still alive, and we need to keep it that way."

Drake stepped up to the shiny Umbreon, all business in the face of crisis, "What's the play here? None of us can do anything directly, but we can get him to someone who can."

"Agreed", nodded the Umbreon, "Kara. Kara can help. She has Florence, and she'll know who else to contact about this. We need to get Milo back to her as quickly as we can."

* _Crunch_ *

All six of them whipped around as a noise came from behind their huddle. It was Marcus and Absol, picking their way gingerly through the dirt, rocks, and rubble.

It was incredibly rare for Azura to reach out telepathically to anyone but her beloved Milo, but in her fury she didn't hesitate to force a connection through to Marcus, who visibly flinched as her enraged voice came screaming into his mind;

 _YOU! This is YOUR FAULT!_

"I-I'm sorry…" the Leader backed away, not prepared to handle the shiny Umbreon's wrath, "I tried, w-we had a plan-"

 _Get AWAY FROM HIM! Your 'plan' is the reason he's hurt! You sent him in ALONE! How dare you even APPROACH HIM? LEAVE!_

"A-Azura", Marcus tried again, "Don't do this. I know you're upset, and you have every right, but you know I can help."

He took a hesitant step forward, his hands raised in surrender, but a frigid blast stopped him in his tracks.

Aurora, emboldened by Azura's words, had stepped up beside her adopted older sister and released an Icy Wind that froze Marcus' feet in place, preventing him from coming any closer. As Milo's older brother looked up, he saw all six of Milo's Pokémon arrayed in front of him, each as furious and determined as the last.

 _Leave_ , repeated Azura. Her tone left no room for doubt or defiance. It was a command.

Silently, Marcus motioned to Absol, who unfroze his feet with a quick Slash. He backed away, unable to find his voice, before at last turning and running from the space. Suddenly, he couldn't be there anymore, couldn't watch any longer. On some level, he found he agreed with Azura.

 _I did this._

As he hit the woods, Karen's voice called out to him;

"Marcus. How is he?"

The Leader couldn't meet her eyes as he answered;

"He's bad. Really bad. But his team won't let me help. They...blame me – us – for this, for getting him hurt. Maybe...they're right."

"Marcus, listen", the Johto Elite put a firm hand on his shoulder, "There's nothing you could have done. Don't beat yourself up; just do whatever you can to make it right."

"But that's not true", he looked up now as he insisted, "We could have gotten in faster. We could have set up closer. We could have guessed that they'd have a plan of attack. We _should_ have guessed. I mean...how did we not account for that?"

Karen stepped back now, her arms crossed over her chest, her face as unreadable as ever, "We knew there would be risks. There always are, and this was our most ambitious plan yet. Besides, it worked, didn't it? It wasn't ideal, but the end result is that the Tribe is broken. Psyfer lost three Mind Queens today – it'll be years before those freaks pose any significant threat again."

"Not ideal?" Marcus was incredulous, and fired back immediately, "Karen, Milo is laying over there _comatose_! He's done! He won't be able to finish the Conference; he'll be lucky to make a full recovery at all!"

"In this game", the Shadow Master's voice was soft and serious, "there is no room for emotion. The only way to beat Psyfer is to play this like a game of chess. Sometimes the only winning move is a sacrifice play."

"A sacrifice…?" Marcus' eyes narrowed as his relentless mind put two and two together to arrive at a truly horrific conclusion, "Karen...you didn't fail to account for anything did you?"

His quiet voice, already cracked with emotion, quickly rose as his grief and guilt flared into anger;

"You _knew_. You knew they would have a plan! You knew they'd get to Milo! This was your play all along – to isolate Milo and the Mind Queens so he would have to trigger his blessings and you would be rid of them! You never intended to fight for him, did you? Did you?"

Whatever he had expected her response to be, what came next was farthest from it;

"I won't apologize for my actions", she hissed, stepping forward and jabbing a finger in his face, "You think I _wanted_ to do this? Do you honestly think I'd have set this up if there were another way – _any_ other way to destroy the Tribe? I did what I had to do, Marcus. That's what the burden of leadership means. Someday, I trust you'll come to understand that."

Not giving the Dark Leader time to respond, she turned on her heel and was off.

 _That_ , growled Absol from his Trainer's side, _is truly despicable._

 **Azura**

Back in the clearing, Azura and the others had formulated a plan – or at least something close enough to it. Azura was directing the team's efforts, as they carefully hoisted their fragile Trainer upright;

"Ferra, Blaze, grab his arms. There you go, now get your other hand around his waist, hold him up. Yes, both of you, come on. Good."

"Uuuhhhnnnn", Milo unexpectedly stirred, trying and failing to lift his head up.

 _Shhh, just rest_ , Azura spoke instantly into her Trainer's mind, _Easy, Milo. Don't talk, don't move, don't do anything. We're going to get you back to Kara. She'll know how to get help._

 _A-Azura_ , even his mind was barely capable of basic communication, _S-sorry…_

With that, he faded back out.

"Hurry", she urged her teammates shakily, "Jet, support him from behind, good…Drake, you take point, I'll keep an eye out behind us. Aurora, you go on ahead and see if you can get to Kara."

Their Glaceon teammate took off in a flash. As quickly as they dared, the rest of the shell-shocked group made their way back through the dark woods. It was late by now, which made navigation a bit trickier, but in the end they were grateful.

"At least the streets are empty", muttered the Moonlight Pokémon, "This would be even worse if people started crowding around."

"Hey", Drake got their attention with a short bark, "Look – in front of the hotel. Kara's already outside."

Indeed, the Performer was standing on the sidewalk; Aurora and Florence were at her side, and she fidgeted nervously as she flicked her head this way and that. She soon spotted Milo's team moving towards the building in a strange-looking huddle, and rushed over to meet them;

"There you are!" She was breathless, and full of questions, "Where's Milo? Is he – oh..." Drake had silently stepped aside to let her see the catatonic Milo, and her whole face fell;

"Oh no. No, this can't be happening, no…"

 _Florence_ , Azura reached out to the Gardevoir, _Tell her we need to focus. First we need to get him upstairs, where he can lay down. He's fading in and out. Once he's situated, Kara can get more help._

The Embrace Pokémon nodded solemnly, already relaying Azura's plan.

"O-okay. Alright", Kara set herself with a shaky breath and moved towards her boyfriend, "Did you guys bring his belt? We'll attract less attention if all of you aren't walking around the hotel lobby."

Jet stepped around from behind Milo, the Trainer's belt draped across his shoulders. Carefully, Kara took ahold of Milo, supporting him as naturally as she could. With her free hand, she returned his team one by one before stepping back into the fancy hotel.

Once again, they were lucky it was late; the young Performer, her breath still trembling from nerves and the effort of dragging an unresponsive Milo beside her, made her way surreptitiously across to the elevator and then down the hall to her own room.

Once inside, she stepped around to lay Milo on the extra bed before releasing his Pokémon once more.

"O...Okay", Kara forced herself to breathe, "Umm, what to do…Has he been conscious at all since – since it happened?"

A few of Milo's team members nodded hesitantly, and all of them were looking expectantly at her;

 _Why?_ Kara felt supremely unprepared, _Why are they all looking at me like I should be the one who knows what to do?_

 _My dearest Kara_ , Florence stepped in to reassure her, _Please do your utmost to remain focused on the situation at hand. Our friends have entrusted the care of their most dearly beloved Trainer to you. Surely you are capable of assisting him in a similar manner to the care you have provided him in the past?_

It was a good thought – just what Kara needed to hear.

"You're right, Flo", the Performer closed her eyes and took a long, slow breath;

"I can do this. Okay."

With a newfound sense of authority, she looked again at Milo's team, who were desperately waiting for her to do _something_.

"Alright, gang, here's the plan. Ferra, he'll need some water. Preferably not from Jet; use the sink. Blaze; you check that cabinet for extra blankets. Aurora and Azura, can you two go fetch Marcus? He'll know...he'll…"

Her voice faltered. The second she mentioned the Leader's name, all six of Milo's Pokémon whirled around to stare at her with angry eyes. It didn't take long to put the pieces together.

"What's wrong, you guys? Talk to me. Ah, wait...Marcus...he's responsible for this, isn't he? Somehow he – he had a part in causing this. Otherwise he'd have been the one to bring Milo back himself. I think I understand."

 _Indeed_ , Florence took the chance to fill her in, _It would seem that Lady Azura chased Marcus away personally. There's...a great deal of hurt there, and it's still quite raw. None of these Pokémon are ready to face him yet._

"Alright, then we can do this without him", Kara put on her best all-business face, rolled up her sleeves, and got straight to it, "Ferra, Blaze, you know what to do. Jet, we'll need a few rags or small towels, one of them wet. Just in case he gets a fever. The rest of you – Drake, Azura, Aurora – you three watch him as closely as you can, and tell me if there's any change, especially if he starts waking up. Okay, go."

As Milo's team set hungrily to their assigned tasks, glad to be doing something to help, Kara released her Leafeon and spoke mentally to her Gardevoir;

 _Flo, I need you and Verdante to go find Marcus._

 _Marcus?_ The half-Fairy shot her a quizzical look, _Milady Kara, I'm not quite sure I grasp your intent. Have you not only just decided to undertake this task without his assistance?_

 _I feel bad, but...I lied to them. I know they don't want his help, and I'm sure there's a good reason, but this is going to be almost impossible without him. Like it or not, we're going to need him for Milo to pull through this._

 _I believe I understand now_ , nodded Florence, _Verdante and I shall go and summon him here as soon as can be._

 _Wait_ , Kara specified her odd instructions, _Find him, talk to him, but don't bring him here. Let's not make this harder than it has to be. If Azura and the rest don't interact with him directly, this will go a lot smoother. Tell him what's going on – I'm sure he's freaking out about it already – and ask him what we should be doing. You two will be our go-between until we find a way to calm Milo's team down about whatever it is that happened, and bring him in for real._

 **Marcus**

After the terrible realization of what Karen had done to his brother, the Hearthome Leader had retreated instinctively to his own hotel room. There he sat silently, Absol perched like a statue on a neighboring armchair. Both of them stared straight forward, not truly seeing much of anything, lost in their own heads.

Grief, guilt, fury, and exhaustion all chased each other in endless circles around his brain. He couldn't remember ever feeling so lost.

 _Perhaps_ , suggest Absol at last, _you should call Gardenia._

"And say what? 'Hey, I just got Milo almost killed, what do I do'? I don't think that would go over too great."

 _You know as well as I do that this is not your fault_ , Absol replied sharply, _The blame lies with the PsyForce Tribe, and with Karen herself. How could you have known her intentions?_

"I know, but...I still feel responsible. I just can't have that conversation right now."

 _So you'd rather have it after you've had even more time to stew in your own negativity?_ Absol's voice was harsh and reprimanding, and Marcus' dark brown eyes flashed as he looked up at his longtime partner. He made to respond, but the Disaster Pokémon cut over him;

 _She'll find out soon anyway, with or without you. When Milo doesn't show for his next battle, everyone will know. You must act now. We have 24 hours to make some kind of plan and act on it._

The Dark type's tone was demanding and unforgiving, but it was enough to snap Marcus back into something resembling a functional mental state. Just in time, too;

 _Sir Marcus_ , came a new voice. The Leader and his Absol snapped their heads towards the door, as the voice came again;

 _It is I – Florence, of milady Kara's team._

Marcus leapt up and flung open the door;

"Flo! How is he? What's going on? Please, I need to-"

 _I'm afraid I have little time for questions_ , Florence's voice was uncharacteristically grave, _I will simply have to fill you in as we go. I am here to act as a liaison between yourself and milady Kara, who is doing everything she can to care for dear Milo as we speak._

Verdante joined her Psychic companion and explained something very briefly to Absol, who translated for Marcus;

 _I'm told that Milo's team is still deeply angry at us. They don't know Kara is consulting you, so we are to assist as much as we can with information and advice from here._

So it began. None of them – Pokémon or human – got much sleep if any that night. At first, Marcus answered Kara's questions about caring for Milo. Then he was forced to bite the proverbial bullet; he made the call he had been dreading. As he suspected, Gardenia was livid at his failure to protect his brother, but she eventually forced herself to put that aside. She got on the phone with the barely-not-panicking Kara to advise her and keep her as calm as could be expected. This left Marcus free to begin planning for the inevitable fallout from the incident.

He got ahold of his father, and delivered the best story he could fabricate – there had been a terrible accident. Milo had been caught in the crossfire when a group of wild Pokémon attacked his team during training outside the city. He was stable, but impossibly weak. It would take him days at least to get back to his old self.

Marcus' next call was to Jenks. He told the media manager the truth as well as the story he'd come up with. If this was going to hold up to the scrutiny of regional media, it had to be convincing, organized, and defensible – something only Jenks could accomplish.

 **Milo**

 _Everything hurts_.

It took several sluggish seconds for his brain to make any other meaningful kind of connection. Eventually, he recognized what he was feeling;

 _Ah, crap. The blessings._

At last, his mind registered the noises around him. A familiar voice...then a second voice – Kara's – answered it...now the first voice...what were they saying? He just couldn't seem to make it out. There was something soft and warm against his left side.

' _Zura?_

He reached out automatically, knowing it would be his loyal Umbreon.

 _Milo? Milo! Can you hear me? Are you awake?_

He felt her shift, probably standing up to peer over him. Her movement prompted a flurry of other activity around him as well.

 _I'm...awake_ , he managed, _I'm...sorry._

"M-Milo?"

He heard the tremor in Kara's voice. It told him everything he needed to know, and he felt his heart sink.

 _I'm such an idiot_ , he berated himself, _I should never have let this happen._

Taking a deep breath, he forced his eyes open. What he saw more or less met his expectations. Azura was at his left, Aurora on his right. The rest of his team was crowded eagerly around, and Kara held his hand, her face full of a mixture of emotions – relief, fear, sadness, and exhaustion.

"Where…?" Even using his voice seemed to take a great deal of effort.

"We're in your hotel room", answered his girlfriend quickly, "Your team brought you all the way here as soon as they could. H-how are you feeling?"

"Me?" the corner of his mouth twitched – the closest he could get to a smile in his state – as he responded, "Great…"

His lame attempt at humor sent visible shockwaves of relief through the assembled watchers. No matter how incapacitated he might be...he was still their Milo. Her voice still warbling as a fresh set of tears trickled down her soft cheeks, Kara joked back;

"Oh, g-good. You c-could've fooled me – you look awful."

"...Gee, thanks", came the weak response.

This brief conversation had already depleted Milo's miniscule energy reserves, and he felt himself fading back out;

"...G'night…"

 **Kara**

She checked the clock, as Milo sank back into unconsciousness. It was just after three in the morning. Still, that small interaction fueled her determination, and she threw herself into her work with renewed vigor. She updated Florence, who was still stationed with Verdante keeping an eye on Marcus, feeding the older brother news on the care process. She changed the rag on Milo's head – he had developed a fever shortly after being brought in – and she fetched a fresh set of blankets, some new bandages, and a new pillow.

The next few hours flew by almost without her noticing. At around 5:30, help arrived for the young Performer. Zoe was never going to sit idly by while someone else cared for her son. Even Amaya was determined to do whatever she could to help out. The Twinleaf girl took Milo's Pokémon out a couple at a time to get them some exercise and light training, at least enough to burn off their pent-up energy.

Milo himself was in and out of consciousness a few more times as the morning dragged on. The good news was that each time he woke up he was able to remain conscious for just a bit longer, and his memory seemed to be intact each time.

Around the fourth or fifth time he stirred, he started asking for Ferra and Azura. It took a few minutes, since both of them were out with Amaya at the time, but they were brought in. He addressed them mentally, since using his voice still took a lot of work;

 _The Conference_ , he started, _Round of 16 is tomorrow._

 _Milo…_ Azura had guessed he might ask about this, but it saddened her to have to say the words, _We already know. We don't have a choice, we have to forfeit. You can barely talk, you won't be in any shape to even walk tomorrow._

 _No_ , his voice was firm for the first time, _We won't forfeit. I have...a plan._

Incredulous, Azura and Ferra exchanged a worried glance;

 _Papa_ , began the Lucario gently, _None of us wants to give in, but you have to consider your health. You physically can't make it. It's not your fault, but it's the truth. You haven't let us down, Papa._

 _No_ , he repeated, _I have a plan…_

 **Azura**

Half an hour later, the shiny Umbreon was back out on the private training field. She and Ferra had just finished relating Milo's unlikely plan to the rest of the team.

"That's absolutely nuts", said Jet quite candidly.

"Damn right it is", laughed Drake, "I like it."

"No guys", their Water type companion insisted, "I mean, seriously. I hate giving up as much as the rest of us here, but...he knows this'll never work, right? I'm just afraid he'll put all that effort in and end up humiliated. That might actually be worse than just forfeiting."

Ferra snarled at this and took a step towards him;

"What", she challenged, "You don't trust me to pull it off?"

"Easy, little thing", Blaze was alert to the rising tensions, "Let's all keep it together, here. We're all worked up right now, but we still have to focus and prepare if we're going to pull this off."

Jet made to argue again, but Azura cut him off;

"Jet", she was as calm as she could be, all things considered, "Think about it. This is crazy, you're right, but it's the kind of crazy thing we would do. Maybe you're right, but I think there's a chance we could pull it off – together – because we're the _only_ team that could."

"We're betting an awful lot on that", protested the Floatzel, "I don't think you guys get how much it would hurt to try this and lose. You don't know understand how much a big loss like this can wreck you. I do. Last time I lost under _this_ much pressure...I got released by Nova."

That shut his teammates up, at least temporarily. It was worth considering, too – after all, he would know. After a few seconds, Azura spoke up once more;

"If it makes any difference", she stated simply, "Nova is our opponent tomorrow. Your improvisation would really come in handy."

Jet's head snapped up at that. His eyes narrowed.

"It's...Nova? Damn...I still think...ah, hell. Fine, I'm in. If Milo wants to go for this crazy stunt, I'll take my shot at her new team."

It was just after noon when Milo next regained consciousness. This time, Azura was ready with news of the team's readiness to back their Trainer's crazy idea. The instant Milo's eyes fluttered open, he found his Umbreon seated patiently beside him;

 _Hey_ , he greeted her groggily, _How'd they take it?_

 _Jet took some convincing_ , she rolled her eyes, _But he couldn't resist the chance to take a shot at Nova. We're in if you are, Milo._

 _Good_ , he grinned weakly, _I figured he'd push back, but he's too competitive to pass up the chance for payback. Make sure Marcus doesn't call in a forfeit for us. He should be in on the plan._

Azura's whole body stiffened at the mention of Marcus, something Milo noticed immediately;

 _What's up, girl?_

 _Get Kara or someone else to talk to him_ , she spat coldly, _I'm not going near him or his pathetic excuse for an Absol._

 _Whoa...you okay? What happened with Marcus?_

 _What happened?_ Azura stood up, her anger boiling up all over again, _Milo, look at you! This is his fault – his and the Order's! He's responsible for this mess!_

Milo's brows furrowed, and he stared past Azura, his mind at work as he answered her accusation;

 _That's not true. He had every intention of pulling me out. This is Karen's doing; don't blame him._

 _Karen?_

 _Yeah. I've been thinking…I'm sure she knew the Tribe would isolate me. She needed me to beat them. She lied about 'having a plan', and we bought it._

 _How can you just...just say it so casually?_ Azura was deeply wounded by this, and a bit upset that Milo didn't seem to take much interest in the injustice that had been done to him.

He actually chuckled aloud before responding;

 _What else can I do? All I can do is leave. I wasn't sure, but now there's no question. I'm done. No more Order for me._

 _Well_ , Azura wouldn't let her anger go so easily, _That still doesn't excuse Marcus. Karen's fault or no, he completely failed to pull you out._

 _Azura_ , Milo's voice in her mind was sharp, _You know he couldn't break that line. They specifically intercepted Dark types. Still, I know he was trying to trigger his blessing. He tried to help._

 _You don't know that_ , protested Azura weakly.

 _Of course I do_ , he settled back with a tiny grin, _It's what I would've done for my brother._

With that, he faded back out. He could probably have stayed awake a bit longer, but he let himself sink back into sleep. After all, he'd need every ounce of strength he could save to pull off his insane scheme for the coming battle against Nova.

Azura sat quietly by his side for a few minutes, going over what he'd told her. Eventually, Zoe and Myrian came back with lunch, and the shiny Umbreon took this as a cue to get back to the rest of the team.

They, like her, were reluctant at first but eventually agreed to (grudgingly) forgive Marcus. Azura and Ferra were sent as an 'envoy' to the Leader, to express the shared sentiment to him in person.

This, in fact, proved slightly awkward, given the ferocity of Azura's initial reaction, but…that was why it had to be her. Regardless, Marcus was fully willing to accept their apology, offer one of his own, and help in any way he could with Milo's admittedly far-fetched plan for the Round of 16.

 **Milo**

Fading sporadically in and out of consciousness made his day go by rather quickly. There seemed to always be some piece of news from somebody each time he awoke:

Wake up. The time slots had been announced – he would fight Nova at 2pm, while Amaya would battle Senji, of all people, at 10am. Fall back asleep.

Wake up. The team was, according to Aurora, feeling as ready as they'd ever be for Milo's crazy plan. Fall back asleep.

Wake up. Marcus had passed news of his leaving the Order to Karen, who had accepted it quite easily. She had probably been expecting this turn of events. Fall back asleep.

Wake up. His travelling companions had brought their dinner up to his room, to watch over him. Amaya couldn't seem to look him in the eyes, and Kara couldn't seem to stop staring at him worriedly. Fall back asleep.

Wake up. It was getting late now, and there seemed to be a movie night going on in the next room. He could hear all his friends and family laughing. He was feeling stronger and ever so slightly more like himself each time he came to. Fall back asleep.

Wake up. It was the dead of night now. Kara had nodded off, her hand still limply grasping Milo's own from the armchair at his bedside. Myrian, it seemed, had been allowed to set up a makeshift bed for herself on the floor. A brief smile. Fall back asleep.

Wake up. Breakfast time, on Battle Day Four, and Amaya's nerves were beginning to settle in. With every passing minute, the gruff but sincere Twinleaf Trainer became more like The Hammer; stone-faced, silent, and unyieldingly intense. Another smile; some things would never change. Fall back asleep.

Wake up. Amaya had beaten Senji, of course, and now…it was time.

"This is it, bro", came Marcus' voice as his eyes fluttered open, "I hope you're sure about this, because it's now or never."

He nodded, trying to conserve every bit of mental and physical energy he could for the stunt he was about to attempt.

" **Ready to go, Papa?** "

Ferra was there, her bright face unusually serious. In one hand, she held his belt, all six Pokéballs in place. Hers was the only one empty. With some effort, he stretched out a hand towards his Lucario. She grabbed it quickly, and hauled him upright for the first time since the scarring events of two nights ago.

"You...okay, bro? Still feel up to this?"

Marcus was still skeptical about the plan, even though he'd agreed to help implement it. Milo just nodded, leaning heavily on his loyal Aura Pokémon to keep him on his feet.

 _I just have to stay in it_ , he told himself, _You got this, Milo._

"Jenks already fed the organizers the wild Pokémon attack story. It's been carefully leaked to the media, so if you back out, nobody would blame you."

"I would", grunted the Jubilife Rookie.

Ferra half-supported and half-dragged her Trainer out the door and down to the waiting car outside the hotel. Inside the car waited Kara, Alexander, and Jenks, who was driving.

Milo's father grimaced at seeing his son so frail, but he gave a curt nod from the passenger seat and did his best to reassure him;

"If anyone can pull this off, son, it's you. Go show them what teamwork really means."

"Thanks", rasped Milo.

The car ride was a bit of a blur. The one thought on repeat in Milo's brain was 'Just stay awake'. It was the key to everything. He trusted his team to do their part, but if he couldn't keep going long enough to see it through, it would be for naught.

As they got into the stadium to go through the final preparations for Milo's fight, Kara and Amaya and the assembled family all made their way nervously to their reserved seats.

News of Milo's sudden turn of bad health had indeed disseminated almost frighteningly quickly, and the crowd was abuzz, wondering what exactly they were about to see. All the pressure was on the JPTA graduate, with Amaya having demolished the unfortunate (but still jovial) Senji earlier. Damion had also won his matchup, so Milo and Nova were the last two so-called 'super Rookies' left in the round – and the first pair within the illustrious group to square off on the biggest of stages.

"Figures his first battle in _the_ Lily Stadium would be like this", laughed Kara weakly.

"Definitely not how he thought this day would go", nodded his worried mother, "But he'll just have to roll with the punches and hope for the best. Come on, Milo..."

After more than a few anxious minutes, it was finally time. Fifty thousand voices rose to a crescendo.

"Here she is! The flag-bearer of Sunyshore battling, a deserved competitor here in the knockout rounds of the Conference...NOVA!"

Fifty thousand voices roared their approval as the adorably quirky Nova emerged smiling from her tunnel, taking her place in her Trainer box.

"Now, one of her fiercest rivals in this spectacular Rookie class…"

Fifty thousand pairs of eyes were riveted to the same dark opening. Fifty thousand hearts pounded, waiting breathlessly.

"He's been absolutely tearing up the Sinnoh battle scene and he's here to prove himself on the biggest stage of all...you know him, you love him...it's MILO!"

The crowd cheered wildly, but cheers turned instantly to shocked murmuring as not one, but two figures emerged slowly.

On the right was the ashen-faced Milo, clearly fighting just to keep his eyes open, hardly strong enough to support himself on his own two feet. The second figure was a good head shorter than the Jubilife Trainer, her arm wrapped firmly around his waist, her eyes laser focused on their destination – the Trainer box.

It was Ferra. Milo's Lucario had totally blocked out the noise around her as she guided her beloved Trainer laboriously to the box, not moving her arm from his side.

"What's this?" The announcer was beside himself, "Folks, I've just been handed a very special rules clarification! In order to avoid disqualification, Milo has to remain conscious at all times! That being said, he is _not_ required to maintain explicit control over his Pokémon. Let's see if this one-of-a-kind team is up to the task of defeating Nova _without_ Milo's guidance!"

After verifying that a second referee was on hand to make sure Milo remained awake at all times, the main official waved the green flag. The battle was on.

 **Flashback**

"Here's the plan", began Azura tersely, "for tomorrow's match. Milo thinks if he can save up his energy he'll be able to stay awake through the battle, but we're going to need to be at our best."

"We always are", Drake cut in proudly.

"Not like this", Azura shot back, "Just listen. He'll be awake, but not functional. For the purposes of actually battling, this one's going to be all us. Specifically, Ferra."

"M-me?" The Lucario was taken aback, "I – I mean, I can try, but…"

"You're the right height, build, and strength to hold him physically upright during the battle", answered Azura, "And you'll have to do that the whole time. He _has_ to be conscious or we get disqualified instantly, no matter how well we're doing. Also, you can project your voice out loud, meaning you can call out trick moves like we're all used to. Besides, Ferra", here the Umbreon's voice softened with a smile, "We all work well with Milo, but you've always been the best at echoing his thought process perfectly. He's your Papa."

"Alright, then", Blaze spoke up, looking his fellow Fighting type in the eye with a strong nod, "Looks like that's the plan. I'm with Azura on this. You've got this, little thing."

 **End Flashback – Ferra**

She could do this. She knew her Papa perfectly; she knew how he thought, his favorite tricks and when to call them. She'd practiced against Aunt 'Maya and Marcus, and she was as ready as she could be.

Across the field, Nova seemed just as taken aback as the spectators, but she soon made her first call.

"Alright, Roserade", her Bouquet Pokémon emerged with a flourish, "Start us off strong!"

"Aurora", said Milo quietly to his Lucario.

" **Roro!** " Ferra echoed the call, projecting her voice as confidently as she could.

Her call sent further ripples through the crowd. A Pokémon was about to play the part of Trainer – and in the Conference knockout rounds of all places! This was a historical first; nobody could quite believe what they were witnessing.

Heedless of the disbelief, Aurora emerged, focused and ready to go.

" **Set it up!** "

Ferra could see what her Papa wanted, just by calling Aurora. Her Ice typing and ability to play hide and seek were perfect for dealing with this half-Grass type.

Totally at a loss, Nova realized only too late what was about to happen.

"Ah, try for a Poison Jab, Roserade!"

By the time the evolved Poison type reacted, Aurora had already brought Hail into effect, and disappeared into the swirling ice. Not one to sit around and accept the loss, Roserade began dashing about this way and that, chasing shadows and tossing out small clouds of Stun Spore.

" **Umm, k-keep your distance, Roro! Just hit from far away!** "

It lacked the subtlety and complexity of most of Milo's calls, but the idea was sound, and was generally what Milo himself would have planned.

 _Just read the battle like one of our training matchups_ , Azura had advised her, _Imagine what Milo's advice would be, and call that out. Keep it simple._

Aurora was more than capable of acting independently. She was doing a brilliant job fighting from the icy shadows, and had already landed two Ice Beam attacks by the time Nova found a suitable counter;

"Roserade, switch to Magical Leaf!"

Her heart in her mouth, Ferra racked her brains for a way to dodge the never-miss attack. Aurora used Quick Attack to run away from it, buying an extra couple seconds for Ferra to find a rather unconventional answer;

" **Play it like Aunt 'Maya! Hit straight back!** "

For all the intensity of the battle, some in the crowd actually laughed aloud at this. Ferra's reference to Amaya's more brutal, straightforward style – as well as her referring to the Twinleaf Trainer as 'Aunt' – seemed quite unconventional, albeit intelligent.

Aurora, meanwhile, understood perfectly.

 _Great idea_ , she complimented her teammate, _Here we go. Yowch!_

The energetic Glaceon gritted her teeth as she came to a halt, letting the Magical Leaf strike her cleanly in the side as she charged a counterattack of her own. Blinded by the bits of ice flying at random about the field, Roserade was helpless to dodge the massive Blizzard that came crashing out of seemingly nowhere. Just like that, it was over. Roserade went down, and Ferra and Aurora had miraculously _won_ the first round of the battle!

Ferra's excitement was reined in abruptly when she felt her Trainer shift at her side, and heard him grunt;

"Can't...switch. Magmar."

 _Easy, Papa_ , counseled the Lucario nervously, _Just keep staying awake. We'll win this for you._

Even Milo's mind felt weak as it connected to the Aura Pokémon;

 _Aurora is our first...can't switch her...Nova's got a Magmar._

Sure enough, Nova took a moment to set herself, still trying to get over the absurdity of battling a Pokémon being directed by...another Pokémon. Then she grabbed her next Pokéball and made the obvious tactical move;

"Magmar, get in there!"

Ferra quickly understood the danger, but wasn't sure how to go about countering it.

" **Stay away, Roro! Use Shadow Ball!** "

"Magmar", Nova's sense of strategy had improved since the beginning of her Rookie season, and an idea struck her, "Use Smokescreen to hide!"

 _Shoot!_ Milo's Glaceon was at a loss, _He's got camouflage, too! Aww, man, that's supposed to be our trick!_

She tried a couple Shadow Ball attacks, as requested, but they were no help in finding the suddenly elusive Spitfire Pokémon.

"Now Flamethrower, Magmar!"

The befuddled Fresh Snow Pokémon screeched as the super effective attack struck her head-on. Ferra's heart was in her throat;

" **D-dodge, Roro! Keep dodging!** "

Up in the stands, Marcus shook his head;

"That won't help. This is where Milo's raw instinct would've saved them. That Lucario knows all the tricks they've practiced, but the team can't compensate for Milo's creativity. What usually sets them apart are the tricks they haven't practiced – the ones Milo just spins up on the fly."

"That looks pretty unwinnable no matter what", Amaya responded, as the floundering Aurora took another Flamethrower, "I don't know if even Milo could get past a Magmar with a Glaceon."

"Couldn't he, though?" Marcus' eye twinkled, and he speculated with a grin, "If I recall correctly, that Glaceon has Protect, Return, and Mirror Coat. Each of those could turn this around if used carefully and effectively."

"Well", Amaya frowned, forced to admit the Leader was right (again), "Ferra won't be able to pull that off. Not with all this pressure on her."

Sure enough, despite getting in a couple of Shadow Ball hits, Aurora was helpless to defend against the third Flamethrower, and she went down in a heap, as the Hail subsided at last.

" **No! Ah, uh, return, Roro. Sorry.** "

Ferra was half hoping Milo would have enough wits to recommend her next move, but when she looked over at him, she saw him staring determinedly at the ground, fighting to keep his eyes from closing.

 _Think_ , she racked her brains, _Keep it simple, what would Papa do...Umm, Magmar uses fire, so – Jet? Okay, I'm out of time anyway._

" **Go, Jet!** "

Those fans who had their ears closest to the metaphorical ground regarding the Rookie class gasped; word had gotten out about how the infamously unpredictable Floatzel had gotten onto Milo's team. The announcer confirmed this for the unaware;

"The tension continues to skyrocket! Milo – or at least his incredible Lucario – pulls out none other than Nova's former ace in the hole to face off against the Magmar that now carries her team! It's a battle of the new and the old here, folks!"

"Heh", Jet shot his replacement a menacing, toothy grin, "So you're the new blood, eh? Come here, flame boy, maybe I can teach you a thing or two."

Not bothering to respond verbally, Nova's Magmar lunged forward with a Brick Break, which Milo's Sea Weasel just laughed off;

"Too easy", he chuckled as he sidestepped the wild attack with ease, "Lesson one, kid. The simplest thing in the world to dodge is an attack that's just an attack."

" **Jet** ", Ferra felt rather bad for the Fire type, and tried to cut off Jet's smack talking, " **Aqua Tail. Look for an opening.** "

"Yeah, yeah, I'm on it", came the easy response as Jet flipped an almost casual Aqua Tail into Magmar's side, "I can handle this. You just keep an eye on Milo."

"Well", the announcer offered, "Milo's Floatzel seems rather chatty today! We can only assume that he's attempting to coordinate with his teammate and make a plan! Let's see if he can use this type advantage to close out the round!"

Ferra grimaced, but allowed Jet free reign over the battle. It gave her a slight mental reprieve and a chance to nudge Milo carefully, to make sure he was still conscious enough for them to continue the fight.

Almost immediately, there was a roar from the crowd – Ferra's head snapped back up just in time to see Magmar crash to the ground, drenched in the aftermath of a watery blitz from the prideful Jet.

"HAHA!" The Floatzel roared aloud in exhilaration, "Replace _that_ , Nova! Keep 'em coming, I can do this all day!"

Unexpectedly, it was Milo who tempered the arrogant Water type;

"Jet...focus...Luxray."

His brain was still incredibly foggy, but the semi-conscious Jubilife Rookie remembered Nova's Luxray from his preparation before the...incident. His advice was perfect, and not a moment too soon.

"Right", Jet gave his head a shake, telling himself, "Yeah, head in the game, Jet. Put in the work."

Sure enough, the incapacitated Milo had still managed to anticipate Nova's play;

"Luxray, show him what we can do!"

" **Counter play, Jet** ", barked Ferra, doing her best to implement a Milo-esque strategy, " **Let him move.** "

"Good thought", Jet encouraged her, "I'm on it."

Jet's own instincts kicked in, and he decided to bait his opponent into giving him an opening for the requested counterattack. He launched into a Quick Attack, aiming for a wide open space to Luxray's right side. Nova reacted the way any sensible Trainer should;

"He's on the move, Luxray! Thunderbolt on your right!"

As soon as he heard his former Trainer's call, Jet came to a dead stop with frightening agility, and hammered the exposed Gleam Eyes Pokémon with his favorite Aqua Jet move.

" **Back off!** "

Ferra alerted her teammate to his own vulnerability just as Luxray lunged in, his jaw crackling with electricity.

"Yes! Come on Luxray, Thunder Fang!"

 _Crap_ , Jet thought as he employed a rather ungainly Quick Attack escape, _I got sucked in. Can't forget he's got those Electric moves. Note to me – ranged counters when the type matchup is – AAHH!_

His awkward scramble had been far too readable, and the reeling Water type was struck with a Thunderbolt for his efforts. As he tried to clear his head, the Gleam Eyes Pokémon compounded the damage with a Spark, and sprinted in to land a Thunder Fang. Just like that, Jet was on his last legs, and the crowd was roaring its approval for Luxray's massive play.

"Gah...Screw you…"

Noting that his opponent was still in close from the Thunder Fang, Jet's training with Milo kicked in; he struck out with a Brick Break that sent the Luxray sprawling. He followed this in with another Aqua Jet, slamming the Electric type. Having learned his lesson, he backed away much faster this time, and unleashed a monster of a Hydro Pump that put his opponent in the dirt, ending the round.

"WOOO!"

Kara screamed her support for Milo's team, as Jet's counter-blitz turned the tables yet again in this high-pressure match that lived up to every bit of the hype it had generated.

"Wow", Marcus shook his head in awe, "That Floatzel is insane. He just won't stay down."

"He's insanely _lucky_ ", snorted Amaya, "I mean, three consecutive Electric hits onto a Water Pokémon and no paralysis? Come on."

Nova was having much the same thought as she returned Luxray, who had been her best chance at taking out her former ace Pokémon.

 _I can't...there's no way_ , she sighed as she looked over at the obviously struggling Milo, _He cares so much. His raw willpower is obvious in his team's battling. That's one thing I can't match. You've raised one hell of a team, Milo._

Still, determined to finish the battle out properly, Nova called forth her final Pokémon. After all, there was always a chance Milo himself would black out and she would get a free win;

"Gastrodon, you're in!"

One last time, Milo offered a few forced words of counsel to the Lucario supporting him;

"No...Water…"

Ferra wasn't sure what to make of this, but Jet came to her aid;

 _No Water, right? I remember this guy from my old team. He's got that Storm Drain thing. Any Water hits will only power him up._

" **Don't use water!** " Ferra knew she had to make the call aloud, " **You're still faster, Jet! Come on, one last round!** "

As Jet took off, sprinting in circles around the easily confused Gastrodon, Ferra glanced over to check on Milo;

 _Stay with me, Papa, please just stay awake. It's working, we're winning, we just need you to stay awake._

Her mental voice reached Milo in a haze. He could feel the cold sweat now, dripping down his clammy skin as his body begged him to just shut down, to fade out, to sleep.

 _I can...do this_ , he shifted his weight, feeling the protests of his groaning muscles.

 _My team...needs me. Jet._

The Floatzel, still grimacing from the pummeling he'd received at the hands of Luxray, was embroiled in a cautious standoff with Nova's Gastrodon.

 _Yeah, Milo? Hang in there, pal. I got this. Just give me a couple more minutes, yeah?_

 _I'm still...here_ , Milo replied, feeling the strain of even using his mind to communicate, _Just...hurry…_

A glimmer of desperation appeared in Jet's eye. He could feel Milo weakening by the second. His time was running out. It was now or never, he knew, to throw caution to the winds and go all in.

" **Jet!** " Ferra had the same thought, " **Get in there! Do it! WIN, JET!** "

With an adrenaline-filled roar, Jet made his move. His lightning fast Quick Attack got him in close, and he started wailing on the hapless Sea Slug, using Crunch and Brick Break.

He barely even felt the multitude of Mud Slap and Sludge counterattacks that smashed into him. He completely shut out the frenzied screams of the tens of thousands surrounding him. All that mattered was this final round. Victory was his top – no, his _only_ priority.

"RRRAAAAHHH!"

With one final Brick Break, he flung Gastrodon away from him like a ragdoll, dropping to his knees with exhaustion, chest heaving. The deed was done. Nova's final Pokémon was unconscious.

As the crowd went strangely quiet, thousands of breaths caught in thousands of throats, even the referee could barely make the call;

"G-Gastrodon is...is unable to battle! Floatzel wins, and the match – the match goes to MILO!"

All at once, Lily Stadium exploded with raw energy. Up in the box, Milo's friends and family were delirious, screaming incoherently with joy and disbelief. Nobody could believe, or even comprehend, the magnitude of what had just occurred. As Jet, still on his knees in the middle of the field, took in the noise that reverberated for miles, those assembled could only stand in awe and show their appreciation for the Pokémon team that was so strong-willed and strong-minded that they won a Lily of the Valley Conference knockout match on the biggest possible stage...without their Trainer to direct them.

"IMPOSSIBLE!" The announcer was practically frothing at the mouth, "UNBELIEVABLE! With Milo himself barely able to move, his team has come out and put on an absolute showcase performance to knock Nova out of the Conference!"

Suddenly, cheers of delight turned to screams of concern as both Milo and Jet collapsed simultaneously, flat out on the field. Like a flash, Marcus and Kara reacted, with the rest not far behind;

"We need to get down there", the Leader's instincts kicked in automatically, and he took charge, "Kara, you're with me. We'll need Florence. Everyone else, get back to the hotel, set everything up as best you can. We're bringing him back. Go."

Galvanized by adrenaline born of fear, they all sprang into action, leaving their box to sprint towards the Trainer tunnel. Out on the field, Ferra had scrambled for Jet's Pokéball and returned him. When Milo had fallen, she'd been pulled down with him, and now she was struggling to get him back up. He was completely limp.

Suddenly, another pair of hands took careful hold of Milo's unsupported side, and the Lucario looked up.

" **Nova?** "

"Come on", said the Sunyshore girl, "Let's get him off the field first."

The Lucario could only stare at the Trainer they had just defeated, who was now helping as determinedly as she could;

"Look", said the beaten Rookie, "We're done fighting. You guys were amazing. Now let me help him so your team can keep going."

With a small shake to snap back into focus, Ferra nodded. Together, she and Nova lifted and carried Milo gingerly off the field, away from the prying eyes of Lily Stadium.

-o-

Another pair of eyes had been watching closely. As Milo went from victorious to unconscious, she had observed everything as only a truly experienced professional could. She had seen Marcus and company flee their box as soon as the situation turned sour.

 _They'll never be allowed to get him_ , she knew, _The medical staff won't let anyone close to him. Unless…_

Her eyes narrowed, and her hand instinctively moved towards her watch, considering her next move;

 _If this were any ordinary sickness or injury, they'd have gotten him medical help long ago. Something else is going on. I'm making the call._

Her instincts were rarely wrong, and they were screaming at her to make sure Milo was given into the care of his friends and family. She found the number quickly, and waited as the line dialed;

"Jenny?"

"Cynthia!" The voice on the other end was urgent, "Listen, this isn't a great time. Can I call back?"

"It's about Milo. His brother and friend are on their way to you. They'll ask to take care of him themselves; I need you to let them."

"I – you know I can't do that", frowned Lily Stadium's chief security officer, "I'm sorry, Cynthia, but he's in really bad shape. He needs professional care."

"Jenny, please", insisted the Champion as calmly as she could, "I would agree, but something feels off. I heard the story about a wild Pokémon attack, but have you ever seen an attack leave someone…well, like that?"

Jenny made to respond, but closed her mouth with a frown, "I...what's your point? Pokémon attacks are totally unpredictable when used against humans. If he wasn't attacked during training, what could have done this to him?"

"I don't know", admitted Cynthia, "I realize I'm going out on a limb, but think with me here. If he was attacked during training, why wasn't he checked into a hospital? If he had seen a doctor, they surely wouldn't have allowed him to battle today. Something is going on; Marcus is playing some game behind the curtains here, for his brother's sake."

Jenny's brow furrowed, and she glanced around before stepping carefully out of earshot of the other officers and medics buzzing around her;

"...What exactly are you insinuating, Cynthia?"

"Jenny", the Champion moved quickly to assuage Jenny's concerns, "You know as well as I do that there have always been unseen forces moving behind the scenes. I won't venture to guess what Milo's involved himself in, but this isn't the first time he's 'suddenly fallen ill'. Whatever is going on, Marcus knows about it, and he knows how to handle it. I'm asking you to have faith in one of Sinnoh's best Gym Leaders. Please, Jenny, can you trust my judgement on this?"

There was a long moment of silence between the two women, until Jenny at last gave a slow nod;

"Alright. Your gut feelings are usually spot on, and I do follow your logic. I'll make sure Milo's given to his brother. I'll still be keeping a close eye on him going forward, though."

With a confident grin, Cynthia nodded;

"I'd expect nothing less, Officer. Thank you."

-o-

So it was that, less than a minute later, Marcus and Kara were surprised to find Milo already laid gingerly in a car that was waiting to take them all back to the hotel. When he asked about this, Marcus was taken briefly aside by the Officer Jenny in charge of stadium security;

"We're trusting you to know what's best for him. I'll still be keeping an eye out for the rest of the Conference. Understand?"

The slightly bewildered Leader could only nod. Taking a breath to set himself, he got into the passenger seat of the car, which promptly sped away in the direction of Milo's hotel, with Kara in the back carefully supporting her still-unconscious boyfriend.

That evening, by all accounts, should have been joyful. There should have been celebration. Milo and Amaya had secured their places in the quarterfinals of the prestigious Lily of the Valley Conference. Yet, with Milo's condition, the mood was subdued. He and his team had managed a miracle to get through Nova, but that only meant he'd have to do it again in the quarterfinals. How long could he keep this up?

"Well", Amaya spoke up, "he's got another break day to improve."

"Right", Kara nodded shakily, "I-I'm sure today was the worst of it. He'll be in much better shape for the next round."

Nods all around. Nobody seemed to have many words. The room was quiet until Marcus found a topic worth some discussion;

"You've both got interesting quarterfinal matchups coming up. Milo's will be more sentimental, but 'Maya – you get the chance at payback. The way the bracket played out, you're up against Max."

"Max?" Amaya's mother looked up, "Wasn't he the one who beat you before, dear?"

"Yeah, Mom", The Hammer grimaced at the memory, "I'll get him this time, though. He whooped me in a 2-on-2, but those two carry his whole team. The quarterfinal is 5-on-5, and my team is much deeper than his."

"I'd agree", grinned the Leader, "Milo will get to face off against Evan."

"Who's Evan?" Alexander hadn't been brought up to speed on the recent revelations. Marcus was only too happy to explain;

"It's actually a heck of a story, dad. Evan's an Eevee Trainer. He makes it his personal mission to rescue Eevee-line Pokémon from being poached, which happens far too often. He's got Azura's parents and baby sister on his team."

"That's so heartwarming!" Zoe was instantly moved, "It's almost a shame they have to battle."

Eventually, their hunger (it was dinnertime) outweighed their need to all be at Milo's side. A delegation of Kara, Amaya and her mother, and Myrian, was sent on the all-important task of retrieving take-out pizza for them all.

They were about halfway through eating the greasy but delicious food, when Milo finally stirred;

"Guuuhhh…"

As he slowly reoriented himself, everyone crowded around;

"Hey bro", Marcus kept his voice soft, "How are you holding up?"

"Needed that sleep", groaned the Rookie, "I collapsed...did people freak?"

"Like you wouldn't believe", Kara laughed with relief and rolled her eyes, "Welcome back to the forefront of national news, you spotlight hog."

"Anything for a headline", Milo offered wryly, "Where's my team?"

"They're here", Alexander held up his son's belt, Pokéballs included, "We'll give you some space with them, come on folks."

He shepherded the watchers out into the next room over (Amaya's) and released Milo's six Pokémon, who were just as eager to greet their recovering Trainer.

"Hey guys", he gave them the biggest smile he could, "You're unbelievable! Jet, wow!"

 _Heh_ , the Floatzel knew he'd only earned most of the credit, _Wasn't just me. I'll never get how you knew that crazy plan would work._

"I trust you", was Milo's simple response, "All of you. Ferra and Aurora, you were great, too."

They were spared the embarrassment of coming up with a response to his flattery when Milo continued, pointing weakly at Azura;

"You're up next."

 _What do you mean?_ Azura frowned, worried that she'd perhaps missed something.

"The bracket", Milo explained, "We fight Evan next. Up for it?"

Now she understood. The shiny Umbreon took a few moments to sort out and control the rush of emotion she felt, and collect her thoughts;

 _I...I have a chance to prove myself to my parents, and to you. Of course I'm up for it, Milo._

 _Wait!_ Aurora had a sudden thought, and in typical Aurora fashion began jumping around, spewing random snowflakes about the room, _That means I get to battle my almost-family! Wow, I can't wait! Hey, 'Zura, you think they'll like my ice? I hope they do!_

Milo just chuckled as his loyal Dark type admonished her young teammate;

 _Enough with the snow, Aurora. I'm sure they'll be very impressed, but you need to behave yourself. Milo's still not back to 100%._

 _Speaking of which_ , Blaze cut in, _What's the plan? Is Ferra doing her best Milo impression again?_

Milo settled back, his eyes narrowed in thought. He was glad to find he had significantly more mental energy, at least, even if he was still pretty out of it physically.

"I think...I'll still need physical support. It's a 5-on-5, so Ferra will be with me in the box, not fighting. This time, though, I should be able to run the show like normal. I can take charge of the calls."

 _Thank goodness_ , Jet smirked, _I thought Ferra was going to pop from nerves if she had to do that again._

 _Oy!_ Milo's Lucario protested jokingly, _I don't see you offering to help out, Mr. Floaty Sacs! Who tried to convince us not to do it, huh?_

 _Oh please_ , scoffed the Floatzel, _That was….I was just giving you the chance to be confident. And lay off my flotation tube! This thing is damn helpful! At least I can hug people without stabbing them!_

Blaze decided to jump in, goading his Water-type teammate;

 _Sure, because you give so many hugs, Jet._

 _You shut up, too!_ The competitive Sea Weasel rounded on the Fire type, _When I do give hugs, they don't cause third-degree burns!_

 _I think 'Zura gives the best hugs_ , commented Aurora, _Her rings glow all warm and pretty when she's happy._

 _Why thank you, young one_ , replied the prim Umbreon, _At least_ _someone here has a reasonable, complimentary voice of reason._

 _That's crap_ , grunted Drake with a mischievous grin, _Azura can only hug with one paw at a time or she falls over. Little snuggle things don't count as hugs. Yo, Milo! Settle this thing. Who's got the best hugs on the team?_

Milo was beside himself with laughter at the team's antics, but gave a rather diplomatic response;

"Well, maybe me, but I think Kara and her team far outclass us in hug quality, guys. That's just not our strongest feature. I think Drake particularly enjoys getting hugs from a certain Embrace Pokémon..."

 _Hey!_ Drake's grin disappeared instantly as the rest of the team all but collapsed in laughter, _What the hell does that mean? Since when am I supposedly getting touchy-feely with that fancy-pants Gardevoir?_

 _Hey, nobody said anything about 'touchy-feely'_ , prodded Blaze, _Not trying to cover something up, are you?_

 _Shut up, flame-brain!_

They carried on this way until Milo was tired enough to take a good, long rest. None of them had to say it, but they all felt a nervous knot at last come undone in their hearts. They were immeasurably relieved to feel that normalcy was restored once more, just in time for the home stretch of the Conference.

Of course, the one-day break between the Round of 16 and the quarterfinals brought its own revelations. Jenks, who had been running around like a madman coordinating everything he could get his hands on, was in his purest element amidst all this logistical chaos.

On the evening of the break day, he and Amaya came to Milo's room.

"Alright", he told the two Rookies, his hands rubbing together in anticipation, "I have good news. I've been in contact with representatives from various regional Leagues, and they all seem to agree. Your contract offers are no longer theoretical. Making a deep bracket run like this in your first ever Conference _definitely_ qualifies as a 'favorable performance'."

With that, he slapped a fresh stack of folders and papers on the bed, quickly sorting out Milo and Amaya's official contract offers.

As they looked in wonder at the overwhelmingly official documentation, Jenks elaborated;

"You'll notice there's nothing there any more from Sinnoh. I spoke to Cynthia personally; she's just as enamored by you two as the rest, but she's got no space for prospects on the Sinnoh roster, and a junior spot would feel disrespectful. Her words were 'making their mark abroad will be a good formative experience'."

Milo's face was alight, giddy with the idea of what the future could hold. Amaya, however, seemed to shrink in the face of this news.

Jenks gave them a moment to process everything, before asking rather cautiously;

"It, uh, would help me greatly if I could get a feel for where your heads are at with this decision. Mind if I ask what you're thinking here?"

"Kalos", answered Milo immediately, "The style fits me perfectly, and Kara's going there to Perform."

The veteran journalist had already more or less guessed this answer, and simply nodded in acknowledgement before looking expectantly at Amaya.

"Uh...I d-don't know", said the Twinleaf girl, "I'm not sure yet."

Jenks' brow furrowed, and he pressed a bit;

"Well, do you have a shortlist, at least? Have you narrowed down any of the options?"

"Yeah", replied the Twinleaf girl, "I'm stuck between Kalos and Johto."

Their media manager nodded sagely, and with a wry grin he deduced her reasoning in a heartbeat;

"I see. Head and the heart, is it? Johto is the logical choice stylistically, but it'd be a shame to break up the dream team."

"Uh, y-yeah…"

The normally feisty Rookie was uncharacteristically shy and reserved. Beside her, Milo was deeply affected by her indecision. He didn't show it, but he felt almost...insulted. Instinctively, he reached out to Azura, who was watching the exchange with interest;

 _Would...she really do that? Split up the group?_

 _She's got every right to act as she chooses_ , answered Azura, her voice subdued, _She's got her own career to consider, after all._

 _I-I know...but...I just never imagined that we wouldn't keep going together. It never crossed my mind, you know?_

 _It's quite a startling concept._

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, none of them had much time to dwell on this. They, after all, had the quarterfinals to prepare for. Milo chose to focus on Eevee-line specific training bouts, pitting Azura and Aurora against one another to learn what types of movements they had in common. Even Verdante, from Kara's team, was brought in occasionally, though she didn't nearly measure up in battle.

Though still reliant on Ferra for physical support, Milo – indeed, everyone – was relieved to find that his mind no longer tired at the alarming rate that it had when he first began the recovery process. That night, Milo consulted Azura once more regarding the...personal nature of the coming battle;

 _You still feel good about this? Say the word and I'll use someone else instead, okay?_

 _I'm...actually kind of excited. Is that weird? I mean, it's not so different from your battles against Marcus. Or if you were to battle your father. I...I really can't wait to show them how far I've come._

 _Well_ , the Trainer smiled, _When you put it that way, I think it makes perfect sense. Still, if you have a change of heart about it, let me know, okay?_

 _Of course, Milo. I always do._

As the young man settled in for the night, his shiny Umbreon stayed awake, perched on the windowsill, looking out at the moon for which her species was named.

 _How far I've come_ , she repeated to herself, _I suppose it's quite astonishing, really. Looking back now on those happy days in the forest, I feel like a different Pokémon entirely. I suppose that's true in a literal sense…_

Her musings brought her around to her beloved Trainer, as they usually did.

 _It's really not even fair to ask how far 'I' have come. We're nigh inseparable nowadays, he and I. We're so different in some ways, but...it's like we're two different branches of the same tree. We meld together seamlessly._

The more she thought about it, she felt it would be selfish to contain this line of thought between just herself and Milo;

 _Really, the whole team is the same way. It'd be more accurate to say that Milo is the trunk of the tree from which we six branch out. We each connect so differently, but so perfectly. How different would all our lives have been without him? Half of us would be orphans, and the rest would be outcasts or misfits. Now look at us._

After a while, her brain spun itself out, and she snuggled in next to Milo for the night. Tomorrow would be stressful, important, and no doubt difficult, but...alongside her Trainer and her teammates, Azura felt only readiness.

-o-

The whole crew was up early the next morning, even Milo. Once again, Amaya was battling in the morning, and he would fight later. In fact, the two Rookies were at the bookends of Battle Day Five; Amaya vs Max was first on the docket, and Milo vs Evan would close out the day.

So there they were. Back on the hallowed ground of Sinnoh battling – Lily Stadium was so revered it was almost a pilgrimage for battle fans to see a match played out in the glorious arena. On one side, the seasoned veteran, hungry to prove himself at last. On the other, the unreadable Rookie, who had all taken on all comers bar this one. The stage was set for the Lily of the Valley Conference quarterfinals. Max versus Amaya was about to begin.

"You're strong", Max conceded as they met for the pre-battle handshake, cheers already raining down on them in droves, "I can respect that. However", his calm voice became something of a low growl, and his grip on her hand tightened, "I'm not playing games any more. I have waited too long for this. You won't stop me. Not this time."

Amaya returned his glare with her own steady, stone-faced gaze, not backing down one inch;

"Good luck, Max."

Her inner fire burned fiercely at his challenge, and she couldn't resist one parting shot as they separated and headed for their Trainer boxes;

"...You'll need it to beat me again."

With that, they were off.

"Granite, time to work."

"Magmortar! Show them what we're about!"

Right off the bat, something felt different. Milo was the first to call it out, seated carefully in the box seats with the others;

"Max seems less friendly this time around. He was pretty nice when they fought in the group."

"Are you surprised?" Marcus had the explanation, "Max has been throwing everything he's got at the Conference for years. You two are the biggest threat to his title run this year, and he knows it. This battle matters much more to him than their last one."

On the field, Magmortar wasted no time reflecting his Trainer's intensity in battle. Even the mighty Steelix was struggling to deal with the raw offensive output of the Blast Pokémon. With Fire Punch and Flamethrower, he was wreaking havoc on Amaya's Iron Snake, who could only do his best to respond with Rock Throw as he was battered back. Finally, Amaya decided enough was enough.

"Granite, tank and Earthquake!"

Max's powerhouse Fire type had no choice but to take the huge Ground move, grimacing as Granite struck back for all he was worth. Still, the exchange had left the Steelix in far worse shape than his opponent, and Max was not planning on letting Amaya back into the fight.

"Back after him, Magmortar! Bring him down!"

Marcus narrowed his eyes, and offered another theory;

"This battle actually gives Amaya a much better chance to win than their 2 on 2 matchup."

"Why's that?" Alexander greatly appreciated his son's expertise.

"It's like Amaya said before; Max's team is carried by his two powerhouses, Magmortar and Mamoswine. So, in a 2 on 2, he's probably the strongest in the Conference. But this is a 5 on 5, so if he's going to win his job becomes much harder. Those main two will have to rack up a few victories each to give his other three a chance to close it out. My guess is those two will bookend his team."

By the time Marcus was done elaborating, his theory appeared to be correct. Magmortar had blasted Granite into unconsciousness. Amaya was down by one.

"Fine", she responded immediately, "If we're playing it that way. Coral, you're up."

"Perfect!" Milo applauded excitedly, "That's exactly the right play!"

Amaya's father was just as pumped, "Yes! If Coral can finish off that Magmortar and get through one or two of his weaker ones, she'll have this well in hand! Come on, Amaya!"

"Max knows that, too", cautioned Marcus, "He's no idiot, he knows exactly what this round means, and that Magmortar has Thunder Punch."

"Coral", called Amaya, "We prepared for this! Twister!"

"Get in, Magmortar. No mercy! Thunder Punch!"

Just as in their previous match, the Blast Pokémon deftly rolled to the side to get out of the way of the mighty Twister. He then launched forward, his fist crackling with the Thunder Punch he'd practiced hundreds of times...but this time was different.

"Coral, Bulldoze!"

It was the last thing anyone expected. Not only did the marvelous Tender Pokémon predict her opponent effortlessly, she had an off-type Ground move, and most unlike herself, she _moved_. Coral never moved when she battled, but she suddenly lurched forward, and her Ground-type counter not only nullified the Thunder Punch, but dealt super-effective damage to the stunned Magmortar.

"Yes! Now wail on him, Coral! Hydro Pump, Aqua Tail!"

Max's starter tried to scramble out of the way, but there was no escaping Coral at point-blank range. Hydro Pump smashed him back into the dirt, and Aqua Tail flung him across the field like a rag doll. For good measure, Coral sniped her ambitious opponent with a Scald attack before he landed. Magmortar was down for the count.

As the crowd roared their approval, Max's jaw was visibly grinding in fury. He had only one Pokémon left who could compare to the raw power of Amaya's team. He clenched his fist as he faced the real possibility of losing his best shot at the Conference to this – this upstart _Rookie_.

 _No_ , he told himself, _Stick to the plan. We'll just have to pray for a Mamoswine miracle._

"Staraptor", he was struggling to keep his voice even, "Come on."

This gave Amaya pause. She'd been planning to switch Coral out, but…

 _He...knows I have Ice Beam on the field, right? Is he that freaked out, or is there something else going on? I don't think Staraptor has any moves that would really trouble Coral…_

"Okay, we're going for it, Coral! Lead with Twister!"

"Staraptor, use Aerial Ace to hit through it!"

It was a clever play, but Amaya had seen it before – namely, against Damion's Staraptor, whom she'd fought frequently in Rookie tournaments.

"Do it, Coral. Ice Beam."

"No, no! Pull off, Staraptor!"

It was too late. All the Predator Pokémon could do was brace for impact. Once again, Amaya had forced an opening that she took full advantage of;

"Follow up, Coral! Hydro Pump and Scald!"

"Escape, Staraptor! Quick Attack!"

There was nothing the Flying type could do to avoid the Hydro Pump, but it did manage to evade the Scald attack.

"Circle around, Staraptor!"

"Snipe him, Coral! Ice Beam!"

"Flash in! Close Combat!"

There was a round of oohs and ahs from the spectators as Max at last managed to turn the fight to his advantage. As the hits began to rain in from the Fighting move, Amaya knew her favorite strategy – using Dragon Tail to escape close range situations – would be useless against the airborne Staraptor. She did her best to improvise;

"Coral, Water Pulse!"

The wide-range move had the desired effect, and Max's second Pokémon was forced to back off and regroup.

"Another Twister!"

"Easy, Staraptor, just stay out of the way."

"Water Pulse", answered The Hammer, "Left side."

It was a calculated guess. A Pokémon like Staraptor would instinctively stray to one side, so as not to present an easy target. The question was...which side? Amaya had called for an attack on the left, not having time to do better than a 50-50 chance. Unfortunately, she was wrong, and Max had his window of opportunity.

"Perfect! Forward, Staraptor, use Brave Bird!"

Amaya's eyes shot wide open, but instinct saved her;

"Coral, DOWN! Then look for the Ice Beam!"

Somehow, the awkward strategy worked out. The Milotic flattened her long body to the ground, ducking under the attempted Brave Bird. The Tender Pokémon quickly twisted her serpentine self to face her airborne adversary and fired off a quickly aimed Ice Beam that struck home.

With a screech and a tumble, Staraptor crashed to the ground at last, defeated. The whole play had taken little more than a fraction of a second, but the crowd was on its feet – The Hammer and her ace Milotic simply refused to be defeated.

"YEESSS!" The girl's father roared in exhilaration, leaping out of his seat as she took the lead for the first time in the match.

Max wasn't waiting around to let her bask in her success, though. He was already calling on his next Pokémon;

"Purugly, take this thing down!"

"Coral, switch", came Amaya's quick response, "Spirielle's got this."

Max was nonplussed as the very damageable Milotic was replaced by a frighteningly fast Gengar that was a far trickier matchup for his Normal type.

There was a breathless pause on the field, before Max tried to make a quick first strike;

"Shadow Claw!"

"Psychic!"

In a flurry of motion, Max's Purugly leapt forward with all its formidable speed, only to be caught in a Psychic hold halfway across the field and subjected to immense mental pressure.

"Bite through it, Purugly!"

"Get a Focus Blast in!"

Max's nerve held this time, and he made the right play;

"Feint Attack, Purugly!"

Knowing Focus Blast was difficult to aim, the Normal type had only to 'dodge' to one side long enough for Spirielle to fire the Fighting move. Feint Attack carried the Tiger Cat Pokémon safely away from the dangerous move, and struck the Gengar for super-effective damage.

"Quick, Venoshock!"

Furious at the perceived cheap shot, Amaya's Ghost did far more than that. After the requested Venoshock came a string of Energy Ball attacks (a tactic she learned from Terrus).

"Get up, Purugly! Use Shadow Claw!"

Amaya could see her Shadow Pokémon's vicious streak was in full swing, and said nothing. Sure enough, Spirielle sidestepped the Shadow Claw almost disdainfully before landing a big Dark Pulse.

"Don't give up, Purugly! Get in there and Play Rough!"

"Confuse Ray", Amaya knew she was in control of the battle now.

The Ghost type just stared at the onrushing Normal type before using the confusion-inducing move, leaving Max's third battler in very bad shape.

"End it. Psychic."

"Purugly, use – no!"

Having totally lost his cool, Max was forced to recall his third defeated Pokémon as The Hammer and her Ghost leered at him from across the field.

He was running out of chances to turn this around, with only two Pokémon left. He wouldn't go quietly, though. He was going to fight to the bitter end.

"Sudowoodo, let's go!"

"Hypnosis", ordered Amaya.

"Oh! That has got to hurt!" The announcer went ahead and stated the obvious, "Max prepares for another offensive blitz from The Hammer, only to be met with a Hypnosis attack that leaves Sudowoodo asleep on the field!"

As Max's most devoted fans booed the seemingly underhanded tactic, those in the crowd waving 'Hammer' posters and signs were elated. The breakout Rookie of the season was looking like a sure pick for the semifinals.

"Dream Eater. Then Focus Blast."

With just two massive hits to the sleeping Sudowoodo, the round came to a premature end, and set up a desperate situation for Max.

"She's got to be careful", warned Milo, as a stunned Max recalled his Sudowoodo, "She has the 4-1 advantage, but we all know that last one is his beast of a Mamoswine. Also, Coral and Spirielle have been through two rounds each, they're not at full strength."

"If there was ever a perfect setup for a Miracle Max comeback win", added Marcus, "this is it."

"Come on, 'Maya!" Kara leaned forward in her seat, willing her friend to victory, "Just close it out! Beat him, come on!"

"It's time", said Max, "Now or never, Mamoswine!"

There was a collective deep breath across the stadium as the colossal Twin Tusk Pokémon landed with a huge thud on the field. This was Max's last stand. Could the veteran leverage his years of experience to overcome the odds? Or would Amaya at last prove herself capable of winning at the highest level? Either way, the result of this battle would speak volumes about both of them.

"Spirielle", began the Rookie, "Go for a Venoshock."

"Block with Ancient Power!"

Trying to keep a handle on things, Amaya knew she would have to make an adjustment, so she went with the flow;

"Nothing fancy", she cautioned her Shadow Pokémon, "Just move."

"Earthquake!"

Max and Mamoswine were in perfect sync, and the resultant Ground move came in much faster and much harder than The Hammer could have foreseen. As her Gengar reeled from the hit, Mamoswine moved in, lumbering dangerously across the field;

"Keep it pinned! Freeze Dry!"

Tactically, this was the perfect follow-up, as Spirielle's first instinct was to get the heck out of the way. Hampered by the ice, she was helpless as the next call came in;

"End it. Blizzard."

The huge Ice move was indeed enough to close out the round. Suddenly, it felt as though Max was in control, despite still being down two Pokémon. There was a feeling, a tension in the air of Lily Stadium. The kind of tension that made one think;

 _This isn't possible...is it? He couldn't come back that far – could he? What if he did it?_

Certainly, the quick knockout of Spirielle was the perfect start to a hypothetical comeback run. Amaya still kept her face impassive and unreadable as she recalled her Ghost type.

"You did great", she murmured, "We can still outrun him. Glacius, let's go."

The stadium was abuzz as the Weavile stared up at her much larger opponent with the same deep ferocity that set her Trainer apart.

"Mamoswine, lead with another Earthquake."

"Don't let that off, Glacius. Dark Pulse, quick!"

"Tank that, then launch!"

Max had chosen this, of all times, to call a Milo-style fake move. As Mamoswine made to start his go-to heavy hitting move, Glacius fired off a quick Dark Pulse to interrupt...a nonexistent Earthquake. Grunting as the Dark move came in, Mamoswine timed the real Earthquake perfectly, and Glacius was forced down onto one knee with a grimace. The Sharp Claw Pokémon was fast and powerful, but not the sturdiest fighter.

Still, one hit wasn't going to keep her down permanently. She made to get back up as fast as she dared, but Max wasn't finished.

"Ancient Power before it gets up!"

The dangerous Rock move slammed into Amaya's Ice type, and suddenly the impenetrable Mamoswine felt like a favorite in this wild battle. He had ripped through Amaya's Gengar, and was tearing her Weavile to shreds in a dominant performance.

"Stay with me", barked Amaya, knowing she had to do _something_ , and fast, "Get around, show me Toxic."

"Turn, Mamoswine, quickly! Land another Earthquake!"

The problem with Max's strategy was that Earthquake had become his only escape card. It was one that he was using over and over, but Mamoswine had to exert himself immensely each time. This time, the effort just took too long, and Glacius had more than enough time to strike the Twin Tusk Pokémon with a Toxic attack that left him badly poisoned.

Nevertheless, the Ice-Ground type persevered long enough to land yet another Earthquake, and this time it was too much for Glacius, who went down.

The crowd's reaction was...mixed. Toxic left Mamoswine in even bigger trouble. No longer could he count on his insane endurance to win the day, as his energy would be quickly sapped by the poison. This was one game Max's ace was unprepared to win. Still...it was a brilliant play from Amaya, one had to admit. She was winning at any and all costs. She had identified a solution and implemented it, no matter how cheap it felt to beat a magnificent Pokémon like Mamoswine...with a status move.

Some, in fact, booed The Hammer for resorting to something like Toxic to win a punch-out battle, as she recalled her fallen Weavile. Regardless, Max and Mamoswine had overcome a huge deficit to claw themselves back into the match. Their herculean effort had them within one Pokémon. They had only to get through a tired Coral, and one other…

"Terrus", called the Twinleaf Rookie, heedless of the disapproval from the onlookers, "Finish this."

"Well", Amaya's father sat back in his seat with a nod, "If it wasn't over before, it is now. The crowd may not like it, but Toxic was the best play."

"That's what I would've done", shrugged Milo, "Then again, I guess I'm not 'The Hammer', so it would've been more okay."

On the field, the tension and mystique surrounding the battle had all but evaporated, as Terrus slammed the now-desperate Mamoswine with Grass-type moves galore. This, combined with the brutal effects of Glacius' Toxic, ensured that the battle's final round was a short one.

It took one Grass Knot, two Energy Balls, and an Earth Power to finish off the mighty Twin Tusk Pokémon.

As the announcer made the call, Amaya got a healthy standing ovation, despite the battle's sour ending;

"Mamoswine cannot continue, so Amaya of Twinleaf Town is the first semifinalist of this year's Lily of the Valley Conference!"

Down on the field, the two Trainers met for the customary handshake. Amaya was as polite as she could be;

"Good fight, Max."

"This battle was meaningless", he growled in response, "Neither of us could have beaten Milo. Even if you make the final, he'll beat you like everyone else."

"Well", she answered, "Guess we'll find out."

As the next quarter final was prepared – Damion's battle – Amaya was dragged into a post-battle press conference, where she was immediately confronted about the way she'd ended the battle;

"Amaya, criticism is already pouring in about your use of Toxic against Mamoswine. With a lead as significant as the one you had, why not just close out the battle with the same offensive intensity that got you that far in the first place?"

"People don't like the status game? I'm The Hammer, I win battles. Nobody complained when Max used poison to beat Coral in the group stage. I won fair and square, and I'd do it again. Style points don't get you into the semifinals."

That certainly raised a few eyebrows from those who had expected something of an apologetic 'sorry I had to' type of answer. The next question followed the same line;

"Some pretty strong comments there – any bad blood between you and Max as a result of how those two battles went?"

"Nah", the Rookie leaned back and folded her arms, "He's a great Trainer, I've got no beef with him. He was mad about losing, though. He told me it didn't matter because nobody can beat Milo anyway."

Another eager reporter was anxious for Amaya's comments on her perceived archrival;

"Do you agree with him? Can anybody beat Milo? Could you do it?"

"Milo's a tough nut to crack. If anybody left in the Conference can beat him, it's me. I'd love to fight him again."

While Amaya was delivering juicy soundbites to ecstatic journalists, a rather unexpected visitor made her way up to the box where Milo was watching Damion's battle with the assembled friends and family.

"H-hello?"

They all turned at the new voice, and Milo's surprise was evident.

"Uh, Nova? Wh-what are you doing here?"

"Can...I talk to you about something?"

"Sure", answered the JPTA graduate, "Uh, I'll be back, don't worry."

Still using Ferra to support him, he stepped out of the box with his fellow Rookie.

"I meant to say something after our battle", began the Sunyshore girl, "But then you went down, and I didn't get the chance."

"Thanks for helping, by the way", Milo threw in politely, still wondering what the point of this was.

"Oh, s-sure. Actually, I wanted to thank you."

"Thank me? What for?"

"Uh, for B-Buizel."

Then it clicked. This was about Jet. It made perfect sense – Nova's former ace had taken over the battle and flattened her new team imperiously.

"Gotcha", nodded Milo, "I hope there aren't any hard feelings about that, by the way. He, uh, he found me. By which I mean he tried to steal my food, and I caught him."

Nova chuckled at that, "So that's how it happened. Must be fate or something. That does sound like him, really. I wanted to thank you for taking care of him. I felt really bad about releasing him, and I'm just glad he's got a Trainer who can help him do his best."

"I appreciate it", Milo was taken aback at her sincerity, "In fact, why not tell him yourself?"

With some help from Ferra, Milo fetched the Floatzel's ball from his waist and released the Sea Weasel.

 _Yo Milo_ , he started casually, _What's up? We doing some – uh, whoa…_

He finally noticed his ex-Trainer there, and took a step back.

 _What's...this about?_

"Do...you remember me, Buizel? Well, I guess you'd be Floatzel now."

A hesitant nod from the Water type.

"Oh. Umm, good. I thought maybe – well, never mind. I just wanted to check in and congratulate you is all. You've grown so strong and I'm...I'm really happy for you."

With that, the girl actually lunged forward and wrapped her arms around the stunned Floatzel. Her shoulders began to shudder, and quiet sobs could be heard over the dull roar of the crowd still watching the second quarter final matchup.

Slowly, ever so slowly, Jet's own arms came up, and he returned her embrace. The odd group stood silently for a minute until Nova pulled away from her former Pokémon with a teary smile. Offering one last 'thank you' to Milo, she simply left, just as suddenly as she had come. Jet reached out mentally to his Trainer;

 _Wow. That was...unexpected._

 _No kidding. You okay, pal?_

 _Yeah, yeah, I just...huh._ The Sea Weasel stared blankly ahead, a smile slowly creeping across his face, _I never thought I'd get closure with all that. Feels...feels good._

It was a small moment amidst the insanity and chaos of the Conference, but it was the kind of thing that gave Milo a contagiously good feeling deep down. As Damion secured his place in the coming semifinal against Amaya, Milo couldn't keep himself from grinning.

The third quarter final was perhaps the most one-sided of them all. Milo had to leave before it started to ensure he would be ready for his place in the final battle, but Amaya was at last able to rejoin everyone else in their box seats.

"So", she asked, gesturing at one of the combatants below, "Why the heck is Ark Monty in the Conference? I thought he was 'protecting Eterna' or whatever."

"I don't think anyone quite understands that guy's mind", answered Marcus with a shrug, "I can't deny his talent, though. His team's got some great chemistry and plenty of power. He's running away with this fight."

Indeed, when all was said and done, Ark lost only one Pokémon out of five in his victory. Just like that, the enigmatic Aura Protector of Eterna was a semifinalist in the Lily of the Valley Conference.

"You know", noted Zoe, "I guess we're biased, but it feels like the other battles have been pretty dull compared to your fight, Amaya."

"Well", laughed her husband, "It'd be hard for any fight to match that one. In comparison, that Damion boy just traded knockouts until he won, and Ark Monty just sort of...rolled over that other guy."

"I think Milo's fight will be engaging for more sentimental reasons", offered Kara, "Since I'm sure Azura will be the one to fight her parents, and maybe even her little sister."

"How special", crooned Zoe, "That would be so touching!"

Indeed, the smiling faces of the two Trainers – Milo still supported on one side by a nervous-looking Ferra – served to diffuse any leftover tension in the air, as the fourth quarter final got set to start.

"Psyonne", called Evan without hesitation, "It's time!"

"Azura", Milo smiled, "Show them your power!"

As the two Pokémon landed on the field opposite one another, there was a curt nod exchanged, but nothing more. This, they knew, was not the time for tears and sentiment. This was a battle.

 _I'll make you proud, Momma._

"Azura, get it going! Shadow Ball!"

"Use your own Shadow Ball, Psyonne!"

It was odd for a battle between Dark and Psychic to start with two Ghost moves, but when the resultant collision cleared, Azura was already in motion, using Quick Attack to zip across the field towards the Sun Pokémon.

"Move, Psyonne!"

Alert to the danger, Evan's Psychic type disappeared with a speed only possible of a true Psychic type.

"Now use Return!"

"Pursuit!"

Truthfully, Milo hadn't been planning to use his Pursuit trick so early, but it was the only way he could think of in a split second to turn defense into a counterattack. Regardless, it worked. Evan had been one step ahead…until he wasn't, and Psyonne went sprawling from the power of her daughter's Dark move.

"Counter quickly, Psyonne! Up and Swift!"

The one glaring weakness left in Milo's battling had been exposed.

"He's always vulnerable for that one second", noted Marcus, seated above, "Right after he makes those crazy-fast counterattack plays there's a tiny little pause. It takes a really precise move to punish the opening, but it's definitely there."

Sure enough, Azura was battered by the Normal move, and Milo's eyes narrowed.

"Dark Pulse", he called shortly.

Across the field, Evan hesitated. Milo's approach was never so blatant, so direct – except that this time, it was. Milo had gone for something of a heat check, and it paid dividends. Psyonne cried out as a second substantial Dark move smashed into her.

"Move", called Milo, wary of the hit he'd taken a second ago, "Get around, look for an opening for Shadow Ball."

Psyonne righted herself alertly, her head on a swivel as she rushed to pinpoint the slippery Moonlight Pokémon.

"Now!" Azura stopped on a dime, and fired the Shadow Ball, only for Evan to make his own clever counter;

"There she is! Teleport, Return!"

"Protect! Night Slash!"

It was a lightning-fast sequence, so fast that anyone who blinked missed most of it: Psyonne teleported away from her lost child's Ghost move, ready to counter with a Return attack, only to be met by a hasty shield from the Dark type, followed by a vicious Night Slash that laid her out flat. As she slid across the field, Milo called out his finishing blow;

"Shadow Ball!"

That was enough. As the crowd cheered and fawned over Milo's magnificent recovery, Psyonne reached out once more to her daughter;

 _I'm so…proud…_

Evan himself applauded the sequence as he returned his Psychic type;

"I never saw that one coming. Let's see if you can do it again! Ferno, let's get to it!"

The proud Flareon smiled fiercely at the sight of his adversary.

"Perfect", the Fire type called out, "Show me your power, my daughter! We fight as equals!"

Azura, in fact, didn't trust herself to speak, but the way she straightened herself up told Milo all he needed to know. She was glowing – literally, if her rings were any indication – with pride at the chance to prove herself once and for all.

"Let's start this off before she gets moving", cautioned Evan, "Lava Plume, Ferno!"

"One big hit deserves another", replied Milo, "Azura, tank it and use Psychic!"

Up above, Amaya shook her head;

"Come on", she groaned, "How lucky can Milo get? Lava Plume has a huge chance of causing a burn, and he got away clean, just like Jet did against Nova's Luxray."

Meanwhile, Ferno grimaced at the damage his daughter's Psychic had caused. Nevertheless, he was raring to continue.

"Let's keep this up", Evan was gambling that his Flame Pokémon had more in the tank than Milo's Dark type, "Ferno, use Flamethrower!"

"Dark Pulse!"

Then, as the two attacks met, he added just one more word;

"Go!"

Too late, the Eevee specialist realized he'd fallen for the same old trick. Azura's Pursuit carried her safely away from the incoming Flamethrower, and she landed a big hit on Ferno. Still, the Fire type was much better equipped to respond to such situations than his mate;

"Turn and Fire Fang!"

"There's that same opening again", frowned Alexander, "Milo lands a hit and takes one in return because his opponent knows how to get back up."

"Go for broke, Azura! Giga Impact!"

Suddenly, Milo's weakness was the perfect chance to earn a shock victory. By taking the Fire Fang counterattack, he knew for certain that his loyal shiny Umbreon would have all the time and space she needed to launch one of her biggest, most rarely used moves.

"Wow!" The announcer had to break it down for the stunned crowd, as Evan recalled his Flareon, "How about that! Evan came prepared for the counterattack game, but Milo has counterattacks for _those_ counterattacks! It's a rapid fire battle here, folks, but Milo finds himself leading by two Pokémon here early in the quarterfinal!"

Unfortunately for Milo, he'd gotten a bit ahead of himself. As the Flame Pokémon disappeared and Evan prepared to unveil his third battler, Azura stumbled on the field, and Milo realized she must be near her limit. Flicking back quickly through the battle, he remembered she'd taken a hit from Psyonne, another two big attacks from Ferno, and the recoil from Giga Impact. Making a snap decision, he recalled her and waved to the referee;

"I'm recalling Azura permanently", he declared, "She's almost knocked out as is, and I don't want her getting hurt."

The official nodded and waved a white flag in Milo's direction to signify that he was forfeiting Azura's further participation.

It was rare to see such a thing in the Conference, but…odd occurrences and strange circumstances seemed to follow Milo wherever he went. This time there was even a smattering of applause, albeit subdued, from the crowd. They recognized that the Rookie was making a very mature call, protecting his Pokémon against long-term damage.

They were rewarded by the chance to cheer once more for the Pokémon that had shocked and impressed in the previous round;

"Jet, let's go!"

The Floatzel was quickly coming to be just as well-known and possibly feared as his more prominent teammates – Azura, Blaze, and Drake – especially after he almost singlehandedly dismantled Nova's team.

"Aeola", responded Evan, "We need you now!"

 _This Sylveon is a veteran_ , warned Milo, _She won't be intimidated, and she'll punish you if you get cocky or lazy._

 _Noted_ , Jet responded, _I'll keep to the plan._

"Aqua Jet!"

"Dodge, Aeola. Quick Attack."

Milo was tempted to close the gap again, but he stopped himself, heeding his own advice, "Back off, Jet! Scald!"

Opting for a safer play turned out to be the perfect call, as Evan tried to spring the trap he'd baited;

"Dazzling Gleam!"

Both attacks struck home, but Scald had the greater power, and Milo had the presence of mind to have another play on deck;

"Quick Attack left, Jet!"

It was not a split second too soon; an unbidden Moonblast blasted the spot Jet had just vacated, and the Floatzel, seeing his opponent use and uncalled move, responded in kind.

 _Eat my Blizzard!_

The Ice move rocked Evan's Sylveon for significant damage, and Milo went with the flow;

"That's great, Jet, now clear out!"

Evan and Aeola, however, weren't going to fall for the same trick twice.

"Moonblast left!"

The Fairy attack was a direct hit, striking a surprised Floatzel directly in the chest;

 _Crap! How the hell did they get that off?_

 _You dodged left again_ , answered Milo quickly, _You always dodge the same way once you get on a roll. We'll hash it out later, get back in there!_

"No more games, Jet! One two, Ice Beam! Then wait up!"

 _Pulling out all the stops? Fine by me._

Just as they'd practiced, Jet zipped around to Aeola's left and fired a small Aqua Tail, forcing a simple dodge out of the Sylveon as he got back around front of her for a much bigger Ice Beam – scoring yet another big hit.

"Counter fast, Aeola! Fairy Wind!"

Milo just nodded, as his second prepared technique came into play. Jet, knowing a hit of some kind would be coming, braced himself and took the Fairy Wind with only a grunt to indicate he'd felt it. Then he blasted in close to the unsuspecting Intertwining Pokémon for a Payback attack. The Dark move wasn't as effective as it could have been, but it was enough to end the round in the Sea Weasel's favor.

A murmur shot through the crowd – it felt as though Milo had just hit second gear.

"He went from trading hits to just…scripting the whole thing", Alexander was still working out how exactly Milo had changed the battle's pace so smoothly, "I wonder how many of those kind of sequences he's got tucked away."

"Plenty", growled Amaya, arms folded over her chest, "Believe me. My team usually ends up as the punching bags when he decides to try them out."

That was enough to get a chuckle out of the rest of the group as Evan released his fourth Pokémon – his only non-Eevee-line team member.

"Valu, my friend!"

Milo's eyes narrowed as the bold Gallade took the field. This, he knew, would be the hardest matchup of the lot.

"Focus up", he told his Floatzel, "He's a tough customer."

"Get in, Valu", even Evan's easygoing demeanor seemed to have switched as he curtly ordered his Blade Pokémon, "Slash, out."

In the blink of an eye, Valu Teleported in behind Jet, struck him with a powerful Slash, and was gone, appearing back in front of Evan as though he'd never moved.

 _OW! What the…damn, he's fast!_

 _Jet, focus! Come on, pal, it'll take both of us to get through this!_

With a shake of his head, the Water type set himself, glaring at his adversary.

 _Here's the play_ , Milo instructed him quickly, _Wait him out. He'll have to get in close to do real damage, and the instant he moves, you move. Let's see those reflexes._

"Aqua Jet, when it's time", he said aloud.

There was a pause then, as Evan waited to see Milo's response and Jet waited for Valu to make the first move. It was like a staring contest. In the end, Evan flinched first;

"Now! In, Leaf Blade, out!"

"Jet, GO!"

Not for nothing was all of Milo's speed training and running drills. Jet knew he had only a fraction of a second, and as soon as the Gallade's body tensed for a Teleport, the speedy Floatzel pushed off for all he was worth, accelerating just fast enough to escape the savage Leaf Blade that was aimed perfectly for his back.

Valu was as disciplined as they came, and he was already halfway through a Teleport to carry him back to Evan. This was where Milo and Jet's combined improvised genius shone through. Jet's escape was also the takeoff point for the fastest, most powerful Aqua Jet he could muster, and it tore through Valu just as he reappeared.

"Valu!" Evan was taken aback, but saw his own opportunity, "Finish him!"

"Jet! Jet, get out!"

Milo's heart leapt into his throat. He'd left himself open in exactly the same place as usual – in his eagerness to land a big hit on Valu, he'd brought his Water type right into the close-quarters range where every Gallade excelled.

Before he or Jet knew quite what was happening, the Sea Wasel was being peppered by Slash, Leaf Blade, and Close Combat attacks that seemed to come from every angle as the Psychic type teleported between each hit. It took only seconds for him to capitalize on Jet's misjudgment, and the referee made it official;

"Floatzel cannot continue! Gallade is the winner!"

As the crowd screamed and cheered for the battle that had suddenly exploded into life, Amaya and the rest were stunned;

"That was… _insane_ ", breathed the Twinleaf Rookie, "I guess Milo's not the only one with a second gear. How can he beat that?"

"I…" Marcus tried to come up with an answer, but for once he drew a blank.

Fortunately, Milo had at least some kind of an idea. Taking a deep breath, he recalled Jet and released his third Pokémon, knowing he had to win this round to preserve his lead.

"Aurora, you're in."

"That's…" Marcus frowned, "That can't be the right play. Where's Drake? Or Blaze? Aurora should be the last one to bring out here. Come on, Milo…"

Milo, however, had been struck by inspiration, and his play was one level deeper. Marcus was right, Aurora was seemingly the worst choice he could make – but she was the best choice for one precious moment, as Evan faltered, thinking the same thing as the rest of Lily Stadium – why Glaceon?

"Set up, now!"

That one second, that one crucial second of confusion, allowed Aurora the chance to bring up her Hail cover before Valu had the chance to batter her to pieces. Once that was in place…

"Oh", Marcus snapped his fingers and broke into a huge grin, "Oh, that's _brilliant_! Yes, Milo, YES!"

"Come on", Kara poked the Leader impatiently, "Spill the beans, you. What's so brilliant about making the wrong choice?"

Marcus complied excitedly, "Aurora was the right choice _because_ she was the wrong choice! While Evan was wondering what in the world Milo was thinking, he got his cover move up for free! Aurora on her own was the worst choice, but Aurora with Hail in effect is _perfect_ for this! Look, he can't beat her if he can't find her!"

Sure enough, Milo had stolen the strategic advantage from right under Evan's nose, and he milked it for all it was worth;

"Water Pulse, move, Shadow Ball! Watch him carefully, girl!"

"Valu", Evan struggled to make some kind of adjustment, "Move! Just go somewhere, anywhere! Don't stay still!"

Milo's enthusiastic Fresh Snow Pokémon had come to love this type of fight. It gave her the chance to play the hunter in her favorite element, hidden safely by the swirling ice. She waited with clinical patience as her opponent flailed blindly about, teleporting here and there at random. Choosing her moment perfectly, she unleashed a Water Pulse that struck home with unerring precision.

"There!" Evan roared, thinking he'd found a way to counter, "It came from your right, Valu, go!"

 _Hehe_ , Aurora chuckled to herself as she watched the Blade Pokémon swipe uselessly at the space she'd long since vacated, _Sucker! Got you this time!_

Just like that, a Shadow Ball slammed Evan's first Pokémon for super effective damage.

"One more, Aurora, keep it up. Find the space, and show me a Blizzard!"

It was almost too easy. If Valu had any kind of special moves, or ranged attacks, or cover moves, or something besides physical attacks, he could have countered Milo's vicious strategy, but…he just wasn't equipped for that type of battle. As Aurora's Blizzard struck him face first, he allowed himself to give in to exhaustion, and stayed down.

Milo got a standing ovation for his latest display of expert-level mind games, and Evan made his last call, reverting back to one final sentimental choice;

"Nea, let's finish strong!"

 _Let the Hail go_ , Milo told his Glaceon gently, _No need to be mean._

Aurora allowed her icy camouflage to subside as the young Eevee kit appeared on Evan's side of the field.

"Hey, big sis Roro!" Nea yipped happily upon seeing Aurora. The two had spent some happy afternoons together after the emotional reunion between Azura and her long-lost family. This was to be a battle between Azura's adopted younger sister and her biological younger sister.

"Hi, li'l Sis!" Aurora responded in kind, "We get to have a real-life battle! You ready?"

It was quite the shift in mood. In the space of a few short minutes, the battle had gone from an intense slugfest between an insanely fast Floatzel and Gallade to…a happy little tussle between a Glaceon (without the cover of Hail) and a juvenile Eevee. Nevertheless, the show had to go on, and Evan made the first move, not bothering to suppress his own grin;

"Let's start with Shadow Ball, Nea!"

"Fancy time, Aurora! Mirror Coat!"

Allowing the meager attack to hit her, Milo's Ice type was eager to showcase a move she'd been perfecting in training now for some time. The crowd gave a respectful 'ooh' as she reflected the power of Nea's Shadow Ball back at her.

"Come on now", coached Evan through the hit, "Stay with me, Nea! Let's try Return, okay?"

"Easy, girl", Milo knew there was no need to be brutal about this, "Protect, and then Water Pulse."

It was that simple, and both Trainers knew it. The real battle had ended with the defeat of Valu, and as the referee confirmed the final result, the two combatants embraced warmly in the center of the field.

"Milo", said Evan, choking back a slight tear, "I know I speak for Azura's whole family, as well as myself, when I tell you just how – how proud we are of her. She's overcome so much, and…and I know how much you've done for her. Milo…we'll never be able to thank you enough."

"Thank _you_ , Evan", the Rookie responded, trying not to get emotional himself, "If it weren't for you, this reunion would've never happened. I know it made the world of difference to Azura. Please keep up your good work, for the sake of Pokémon everywhere."

With that, the older man clapped Milo heartily on the shoulder and took his leave. Milo was about to do the same, Ferra still silently at his side to make sure his strength didn't give out, but then the sheer reality of his situation hit him like a ton of bricks.

Suddenly, with the battle over, he heard as if for the first time the chants raining down from the crowd;

"MI-LO! MI-LO! MI-LO!"

 _This is…I'm not dreaming_ , he realized, _I just won a Conference quarterfinal in Lily Stadium. That's my name they're yelling. I…we did it. We made it, me and my team…_

Overcome out of nowhere, the young man felt tears of incredulous joy cascade down his face, and he raised one hand, his face breaking into a massive smile. Seeing his raw, genuine emotion, the crowd only grew louder, screaming for the fourth semifinalist in the Lily of the Valley Conference;

"MI-LO! MI-LO! MI-LO!"

 **Author's Notes:**

 **I'm going out on a limb here, but this is the best I've felt about a chapter as it goes up in some time. That either means my gut feelings are out of whack…or this is a really solid chapter. I can only hope it's the latter, but I'll need you to let me know in a review. (Don't be afraid to tell me if it's not, that's just as valuable! Honestly!)**

 **I'd like to note explicitly that the brief appearance of Cynthia, and the snapshot of her incredible situational intuition, is something of a vague homage to the amazing Lost Master trilogy by Iama2p, whose work has long stood as an inspiration to me as a Pokémon writer. It is also, of course, a purposeful cameo within the context of this story, since Cynthia of course has kept and is keeping a close eye on the goings-on of her beloved Sinnoh region.**

 **Review comments:**

 **Guest: I appreciate your enthusiasm! Hopefully you like the Pokémon interactions here, too! I feel like Amaya has proven that she doesn't really** _ **need**_ **actual telepathy to interact with her team. It's a different kind of interaction for sure, but no less intricate…does that make sense? Anyway, hope you enjoy!**

 **HauntedHaunter: Hope this was soon enough for you! ;) It certainly got done much faster than the last few chapters…**

 **Joshy: All my respect and appreciation to you as always for your detailed and invaluable reviews, seriously. I'll call out specifically that I literally jumped around my apartment in celebration when I saw you questioning Karen and the Order. That was a huge 'oh my gosh, it worked' moment for me, so thank you. XD**

 **Some final thoughts:**

 **Remember how I said last chapter was your last chance to give me thoughts and input on fine-tuning the story? Well this is the REAL last chance. Chapter 28 will for sure be the final chapter in this tale.**

 **On that note, I want to thank, in a special way, my readers and reviewers, and all those who have tracked this story as it has grown. I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this journey as much as I have. Hopefully Chapter 28 can deliver one last burst of joy before I move on to the next big thing; Milo and the Big Six. My current plan is to release Chapter 1 of that at the same time as Chapter 28 of this story.**

 **Love, peace, and Pokémon (which I don't own).**

 **-Nano**


	28. Chapter 28 - Dear Friends, Once More

Chapter 28 - Dear Friends, Once More

"Cynthia," the reporter reached across the interview table with a broad smile to shake the Champion's hand, "Thanks so much for joining us today to talk about these last few enormous Conference matchups. First things first; your thoughts on the Conference thus far?"

"Well," the former Pokémon Master chuckled, "It certainly has not disappointed. We've had all the drama we could ask for and more."

"What stands out most to you from this year's Conference?"

Cynthia folded her hands neatly, appearing to consider the question carefully, though she knew her answer in a heartbeat;

"Hmm...I'd say this Rookie class has impressed me most, at every level."

"They've certainly done themselves proud. Any chance we'll see one or two of the four Super Rookies on next year's Sinnoh roster?"

Cynthia grinned as she went full diplomat with her answer, "Their quality is undeniable, but my roster is short on space at the moment. Unfortunate, I know, but it's perhaps best for their careers to seek greener pastures before looking to make it big here in Sinnoh."

"A candid answer there," commented the reporter, "One final question before we take a break - the one I think most of Sinnoh is asking right now; Milo or Amaya?"

"That _is_ the question of the day, isn't it? Personally, I think any of the semifinalists could go all the way. Let's not discount Damion Parr or Mr. Montgomery. If you're specifically asking about Milo and Amaya, though…"

She tried to answer, but frowned;

"Goodness, I can't make up my mind. Only yesterday I was convinced Amaya was the stronger of the two, but after Milo's display of adaptability and variety in the quarterfinals, I had to reconsider...then again, sometimes raw power really does win the day. Who knows? As I see it, they're neck and neck right now, with all of Sinnoh watching."

-o-

"Well," Kara gave a wry grin as the channel went to commercial break, "Looks like Cynthia's on Team Amaya, even if she doesn't want to say so."

Marcus sat back in his seat, arms crossed lazily over his chest;

"Nah, she knows better than to pick sides. She's just trying to contribute a bit more to the hype. Not that it really needs any more contribution; people are losing their minds trying to figure those two out as is. How's Milo? Hard at work and shutting out the world, I presume?"

The Performer and the Leader were relaxing in a local cafe, basking in the early afternoon sunlight seeping through a nearby window. The pomp and circumstance surrounding the Conference meant that most passersby weren't too surprised to see a Gym Leader like Marcus around Lily of the Valley Island, and most of them just pointed excitedly and kept walking. They were easily ignored.

Kara rolled her eyes, answering with a grin and a sigh;

"Yeah, he's got about a dozen notebooks laid out all over his training field, and every millisecond of footage he can get his hands on – from Ark as well as 'Maya. How's she shaping up, by the way? You were with her this morning, right?"

Now that the dream of a Milo vs Amaya Conference final was just two semifinals away from reality, the pair of 'Super Rookies' had agreed on mutual radio silence for the rest of the Conference. They were not speaking, meeting, or interacting with each other at all. If (and it was still an _if_ ) they met in that hypothetical final...they would meet as rivals, adversaries in an epic showdown. Anything less would be a disservice.

Marcus crossed his arms and sat back with a frown;

"I think Amaya's already mentally put herself in the final. I've reminded her three times today that she still has to beat Damion tomorrow to make it happen, but she pretty much blew me off each time. She's totally focused on beating Milo."

"That sounds like her," laughed the Floaroma girl, "Poor Damion. He's a Super Rookie the same as them, but he's kind of been lost in the shuffle."

Marcus was, however, legitimately concerned about this;

"He might've gotten short-changed by the media, but I've been reviewing his Conference battles so far – he's improved. A _lot_. I'm worried that if Amaya doesn't shape up, he could surprise everyone and win. I mean, this is basically his final."

"How do you mean?"

Kara slipped into her 'Milo mode' as she listened politely to the answer. She still didn't understand the subtleties of tournament dynamics, or the many high-level factors that went into big battle events. Still, she'd long since learned how to listen politely when Milo started spouting about it, and Marcus wasn't so different after all.

"Well, for Damion, this battle is his chance to prove everything he's been building for a year now. He's not expected or projected to win, so the pressure's off. He knows he's already gone further than anyone thought he would, but this is his chance to prove in front of the whole region that he deserves to be considered even with the other two."

"Whereas 'Maya is just trying to get to that final against Milo."

"Right. He doesn't care what happens after this, and she _only_ cares about what happens after this. In my experience, that's a recipe for disaster."

By the end of lunch, they had gone over this same conversation about a dozen times, but it was hard to talk about anything else, really. Eventually, Kara left to go shopping with Milo and Amaya's mothers and Milo's young sister. With all the stress around them, they'd decided to set it aside for just a few hours and have a 'girls only, no Trainers' outing.

This left Marcus free to check in on the two Trainers. Milo was first.

"Hey. Hey, Milo."

The Leader had to step purposefully into his brother's field of vision and wave his hands exaggeratedly to get his attention;

"Whu – huh? Oh, hey Marcus."

Milo hardly did more than glance up. He was sitting cross-legged in the corner of his personal training field, with no less than five sets of notes surrounding him.

"How goes it?"

Still not looking up, Milo sipped hurriedly at his fourth coffee of the day before responding;

"Frustrating. I can't freaking figure out what Ark's sixth Pokémon is! I've looked _everywhere_ , but I can't find anything besides the five he's already shown!"

"Are you sure he even brought a sixth? He might just not have bothered. I mean, it's Ark Monty, he thinks differently from most people."

"Yeah, I thought of that, but he registered a full six for the tournament – I checked. He's got _something_ in that last slot, but he hasn't used it and I can't find a record of it anywhere."

"Hmm. You've got everything else planned out, though, right?"

Milo threw down his pencil and ran a nervous hand through his hair;

"As well as I can with that big fat question mark, yeah. Still, not knowing ahead of time leaves a lot of holes in my plans."

Marcus took a seat across from his younger sibling. His goal was to make enough casual conversation for Milo's no-doubt ragged brain to cool off just a bit.

"Yeah, I can see how that would be tough. Anything planned for the final?"

The JPTA grad at last looked up at his brother, not ready for that particular question;

"The final? Umm, I have a few basic ideas, assuming it's 'Maya. If Damion wins I'm back to the drawing board, though."

The young man tapped on one of the notebooks, where he seemed to have scribbled out his 'basic ideas'.

"May I?" Marcus reached for this notebook and, at Milo's vague nod, picked it up to inspect it.

At the top were two hastily formed columns listing Milo and Amaya's Pokémon respectively. These were connected with several lines detailing a careful one to one ratio that appeared to have been subjected to quite a bit of erasure and re-drawing.

Underneath the two columns, Marcus saw the words 'Just win one' underlined and emphasized heavily. An arrow was drawn from this phrase to a one-word question below it; 'First?'

Shaking his head, Marcus gave up, carefully replacing the notebook before standing back up. Despite his efforts, Milo was clearly in too deep to be distracted.

"Good on coffee? Need a snack?"

"I'm good, thanks." Milo replied offhandedly.

 _I guess that runs in the family_ , thought the Leader as he moved to observe Milo's team, training lightly out in the middle of the field;

 _I'm pretty sure I get the same way before a big match._

He soon left Milo and his team to their business, heading out to make sure the other Super Rookie was alright.

Amaya was a different story altogether. She, too, was seated in one corner of her training field, but she had no notes, no scribbles, no coffee, and no frantic sense of urgency about her. She just sat and watched her team batter one another into the ground, offering an occasional compliment or piece of advice.

"Hey again", Marcus leaned against a pillar next to her, "All good?"

"...Yeah."

"Penny for your thoughts. What's going through your head besides whatever you've got in those headphones?"

Amaya opened her mouth, probably to give some generic response, but then she frowned;

"...Johto or Kalos. I still need to choose."

"Ah", Jenks had filled him in on the girl's indecision, so he was prepared for this delicate conversation, "Worried about next season, eh? Want my advice?"

"Sure."

"Technology is great," winked the Leader, "We have phones and digital messaging. Friends can be friends across regions. On the flip side, you only get one shot at your career as a Trainer. You need to consider what's best for you in the long run."

"I know", she gave a heavy sigh, "At this point, I know what the right choice is. I just...don't know if I'm strong enough to _make_ that choice."

"I understand. For now, though, it's probably best to just focus on the Conference."

"Uh huh. Hey, did Jenks tell you we're commentating each other's semifinals?"

"Say what?"

"Yeah", the Twinleaf girl cracked a smile, "Apparently SBBN specifically requested that Milo and I appear as guest commentators for one another's battles tomorrow."

"Wow. Should be fun."

"Hope so."

Silence fell between the two. Amaya had more than enough to think about, and Marcus grinned as he reminisced his own younger days, rising through the ranks with Absol at his side.

This feeling – occupied silence where there might otherwise be conversation – became the theme of break day for both the Rookies and their friends and family. As per the self-imposed 'protocol', Milo and Amaya ate dinner separately, did their evening training separately, and had no interaction whatsoever the whole rest of the day.

 **Battle Day Six**

The next day was Friday, the day of the semifinal round. There were hours of final checks, warmups, preparations, and logistics to get through before the battles were scheduled to begin that evening. Milo and Amaya went through the day in something of a fog.

"Milo?"

He'd been isolated now for hours, preparing and waiting for his battle, the first of the two semifinals, which would take place at 5:00 that evening.

There was no response from the JPTA Rookie as he stared off into space, concentrating on something or other.

"Hey! Milo!"

He blinked and looked around, slightly disoriented;

"Oh, hey. What's up, Kara?"

"Umm, it's time for us to head up to our seats, so…"

"Wait, already? We just got here a while ago, it can't be...oh man, when did it get to be four o'clock?"

His girlfriend chuckled, "You've been spacing in and out all afternoon. You alright?"

"Yeah", his eyes slid away once more as his brain refused to slow down, "Yeah, I'm good…"

Kara gave him a quick peck on the lips, drawing at least a smile from the young man, before she turned and strode out of his warmup space.

 _It's time. Just me and my team now_ , he told himself, _Let's earn our spot._

A season's worth of work had come down to this, for both Rookies – one fight each, vying for the right to partake in the mythical Lily of the Valley Conference final.

Up in the commentator's booth, Amaya settled into one of the swiveling seats overlooking Lily Stadium. Adjusting her headset with Jenks beside her, she gave a thumbs-up to one of the cameramen to show she was ready whenever they were done tinkering with...pretty much everything.

It felt odd to be prepping for a big battle in the evening, but it was all about television times. The Conference semifinals were held Friday night, so that most people would be able to tune in after work. That also ensured that the finalists could take Saturday as one last break before the Sunday evening final.

 _I guess you have to think about that kind of thing at this level_ , she mused, _This is my first taste of what professional Trainer life is like under the hood._

Her wonderings were cut short by Jenks, who tapped her shoulder and gave her a nod. She checked her watch – Milo's match was due to start any minute now. She gave herself a shake to focus up, and before she knew it a small red light flicked on, and they were broadcasting live all across Sinnoh:

"Hello!" Jenks was, as usual, bright and chipper, "Thank you for joining us here on SBBN for the semifinals of this year's Lily of the Valley Conference. I'm Robert Jenks coming to you live from Lily Stadium, and I'm joined today by a special guest; Amaya from Twinleaf – better known, perhaps, as The Hammer!"

"Hey Robert", she made sure to flick between Jenks and the camera with her trademark deadpan stare, "Good to be here. Should be a good battle."

"That's for sure", nodded the journalist, "On one side, we've got Milo – the latest prodigal talent out of the miraculous Jubilife Pokémon Trainer Academy, and a great personal friend of yours. He'll be up against a rather enigmatic man in Archibald 'Ark Monty' Montgomery."

Amaya nodded, "It'll be interesting to see how Milo handles Ark, given that he's so difficult to predict."

"Speaking of unpredictability," Jenks' experience with all things media shone through, "These two have been touted as very similar battlers throughout the tournament, since they both fit that 'wild card' descriptor pretty well. Amaya, what do you think of that comparison?"

"It's easy to think that," the Twinleaf Trainer got a thoughtful look on her face, "But Ark's team has a clear focal point that Milo's doesn't."

"By focal point", prompted Jenks, "I assume you mean one Pokémon that is clearly the biggest threat?"

"Yeah", Amaya nodded, "I mean, who is Ark's strongest Pokémon?"

Jenks knew where she was going with this, and played along;

"Well, it would have to be that male Lucario, Anubis."

"His fastest?"

"Anubis again."

"Yep. He's also the toughest, the smartest, the all-around best on that team. Milo can't be Pidgey-holed like that."

"But surely Milo's Umbreon is the standout battler on his team, just like Anubis on Ark's team?"

"It's different", Amaya frowned as she tried to explain her thought process, "Azura – the Umbreon – understands him best, but his Infernape actually has the most raw power. Garchomp is his toughest, but Floatzel is the most unpredictable. Glaceon is the hardest to pin down and his Lucario is by far the most versatile."

"I see what you mean", nodded Jenks. Behind the camera, one of the studio assistants held up a sign – there had been a slight delay in the broadcasting schedule, and they had another five minutes before the battle started. The expert journalist turned smoothly back to his Rookie guest and delved deeper;

"So, what does that difference mean for this battle?"

"It means Milo has more options. He can pick and choose any strategy at any time. With Ark, you can at least force him into a tight enough spot to draw out his ace and plan from there. Milo's got no default, no corners you can back him into."

"I see what you're saying", Jenks sat back and nodded sagely, "It seems like battling Milo and his mind games is like playing poker against someone with no tell."

He was about to go on, but the same studio assistant gave a frantic (but silent) wave; the delay had been resolved and the battle was to start immediately.

"Alright", Jenks leaned forward once more and rubbed his hands together excitedly, "Looks like we're finally ready to see some action!"

"Looks that way", nodded Amaya, "We've got both Trainers on the field, just waiting on the ref to give the go-ahead."

She'd never say it out loud, but Amaya could tell her friend was doing everything in his power to avoid freaking out. After a year travelling with him, she could see it in his narrowed eyes, his tense stance, and the way he steadfastly refused to look up at the tens of thousands of fans screaming his name.

"BATTLE….BEGIN!"

Archibald Montgomery, still in his 'traditional' Lucario garb, got things started;

"Ani, we need momentum!"

 _Perfect_ , thought Milo, _I knew he'd go for Ani first._

"Blaze! You're in, pal!"

"Nice", said Amaya into her microphone, "That's a classic Milo counter-pick. He knew Ark would hold Anubis back, but would also try to start strong. Guessing he'd open with his other Lucario was a safe bet."

"Show them speed, Blaze! Mach Punch!"

Alert to the danger, the wily Ark wasn't waiting for an invitation to make his own play;

"Aura Sphere, Ani!"

"Double Team, Brick Break!"

Blaze's form seemed to dissipate as his Double Team rendered Ani's single Aura Sphere useless, hitting nothing but empty copies of the very real Infernape that came crashing in to land a big Fighting hit on the half-Steel type.

"A nice bit of vintage Milo strategy there as well", commented Jenks, "Always one step ahead."

"Double Team was his plan from the start there", agreed Amaya, "He's trying to gauge Ark's responses while he's got a safe matchup. He's getting a feel for Ark's instincts."

"A strong start then, from Milo. Wow! Now there's a brutal combo!"

Blaze had just taken a leaf from Jet's playbook, flashing out wide to draw Ani's attention before using another Quick Attack to hit her from her now-exposed front side with a vicious Blaze Kick before she could react.

"Crunch, now!"

 _Dang it!_ Milo cursed his own ambition, _We got drawn in again. It's always that same opening that gets me…_

He was forced to roll with the punches as Blaze took his first damage of the battle, and Ani and Ark came roaring back into the fight, anxious to pay back some of the damage.

"Follow him, girl! Use Aura Sphere until you can get close enough for a Close Combat!"

Milo's Flame Pokémon was stuck on the defensive now, but all of his training came in handy. The Rookie held his nerve, refusing to panic at the sudden reversal of pressure;

"Just like our drills, Blaze! Block those hits with Fire Punch!"

Adrenaline sharpened the Fire type's focused senses as he kept himself one step ahead of the onrushing Lucario, dodging this way and that, meeting each attempted Aura Sphere with a Fire Punch to cancel out most of the damage.

"This is turning into a game of nerves", commented Jenks, "It's all about who is going to flinch, or make the first mistake."

"My money is on Milo to take this round", answered Amaya, "Bla – Milo's Infernape does this kind of thing in training almost constantly, and he's taken much less damage so far."

Silently, Milo waited until the bout had developed a pounding rhythm before he saw a window to disrupt that rhythm;

"NOW!"

Needing no further instruction, Blaze made his move;

"Where's he – oh, he – WHOA! IT'S OVER!"

Jenks was actually out of his seat, yelling into the microphone. Blaze had used one last Fire Punch to break through the last Aura Sphere before firing off a quick Flamethrower and pushing off with a blinding Quick Attack. Just as Ani fell back with the damage from the Flamethrower, she was punished by a Flare Blitz that left her unconscious. Just like that, Milo took round one.

 _Good job, pal,_ Milo communicated mentally in order to be heard over the cheering fans, _I can't switch you out, so you're going to have to just go for it, whatever comes next._

 _As if I'd have it any other way_ , snorted Milo's starter, _Bring it on._

"Boulder, I need you now!"

There was a collective gasp around the crowd as Ark Monty inexplicably brought out an Onix to fight Milo's Infernape. Only Milo himself seemed to understand what was going on;

"Get in, Blaze! Now! Mach Punch, Low Kick!"

To most people, it looked like an inexcusable lapse in judgement from the Aura Protector of Eterna, but Marcus had (as usual) a more complicated opinion.

"He tried to do the same thing Milo did in with Aurora against Evan. I think that Onix knows Earth Power; he was probably hoping to get that in while Milo was wondering what he was doing."

"Didn't quite work", noted Alexander, "I guess Milo was smart enough to just pull the trigger."

Ark grimaced as his bluff was called – Marcus had been spot on. Without enough time and space to launch an Earth Power, Boulder would never be able to match the raw power Blaze commanded. Still, he was determined to make sure Milo _earned_ this victory.

"Come on, Boulder! Long roll!"

"Blaze", Milo's mind was racing, "Back off, pal!"

 _What the hell is 'long roll'?_

They didn't have to wait to find out. Blaze retreated warily, and Boulder flung himself horizontally across the field, landing with his body stretched out, and began literally rolling across the field towards Blaze.

 _Uh, that's new_ , the Flame Pokémon hadn't quite encountered something like this before, _Milo? A plan would be nice...he's coming in hot…!_

Milo was in...well, full Milo mode. He could think of at least four different ways to dodge this wacky rolling tactic – Boulder had now crossed midfield and Blaze was still just backing off – the problem was figuring out what Ark had planned _after_ his dodge. What did Ark expect him to do? How could be beat the _next_ plan, or at least determine what it was?

 _Milo!_

He was out of time, "Jump over, Blaze!"

"Stone Edge!"

Milo could only grit his teeth at Ark's unconventionally brilliant maneuver. Blaze was easiest to predict when he was airborne, unable to adjust his trajectory until he landed. As long as Boulder was quick enough (he was), Milo's Fire type was helpless to dodge the strong Rock move and he took the full force of Stone Edge.

"Hang tough, pal", Milo knew his Infernape could at least finish out the round, "Another Mach Punch!"

"Boulder, Earth Power!"

"Geodude!"

Up in the booth, Amaya actually laughed, "That's another classic Milo trick. Wide ranging Ground moves like that never strike the Pokémon that launched them, so that's the best place for an agile Pokémon like Infernape to dodge."

Down on the field, Blaze executed the tactic to perfection, giving a mighty leap to latch onto the Rock Snake's long body. He held on just long enough to avoid the Earth Power, and was already in motion once more as Milo called out;

"Now Close Combat and away!"

 _Don't follow_ , warned the Trainer mentally, _That should do it, but if not we'll need a buffer zone._

To Milo's great relief, it was enough. Boulder was knocked out, and while Blaze was on his last legs for sure, he had a savage grin on his features that the crowd loved.

"We couldn't have asked for a more scintillating opening to this semifinal round", said Jenks in the commentary booth, "Milo, behind a gutsy performance from his Infernape, finds himself with an early lead."

"I think this is where Ark begins to gain some ground, though", noted Amaya as Ark Monty released his third Pokémon, "Blaze is exhausted, Milo can't switch him, and – yep, Ark is going to call in his Aegislash."

Blaze did his best, giving a fine account of himself despite his innate disadvantage in fighting a Ghost.

"Hmm", noted Amaya, "Those Fire moves are coming in handy, but Blaze has only one real counter for a Pokémon like that."

That counter was Heat Wave. Milo had already called for three of them.

 _You're doing great_ , he assured his starter, _Let's just rack up whatever damage we can here, bud. Do what you can, and let the team handle the rest._

 _I can...do this...all day_ , huffed the Infernape gamely, his chest heaving with exertion as he fired off yet another Heat Wave, striking Ark Monty's evasive Aegislash for only the second time.

"Well", Amaya stated the obvious, "We know what Milo's plan is; Heat Wave or bust. If Ark has a counter plan, he'd better do it soon. If he doesn't take this round, I think it already starts to look unwinnable for him."

Finally, Ark and his Aegislash found the opening they'd been desperately waiting for. Blaze had emptied his tank, and his next Heat Wave was just too weak and too slow.

"Now, Sword! Shock Wave, then Aerial Ace!"

It was a neat little change-up play, and it did precisely enough. As he took the extra-painful Flying type hit, Blaze at last allowed himself to stay down.

The crowd got to their feet now, applauding the heroics of Milo's loyal starter Pokémon, eager to see what magnificent creature the Rookie would call upon next.

As Milo recalled Blaze, he took a breath to steady himself before making just his second call;

"We don't take defeat lightly. Azura, show them what we're capable of!"

"YEEEESSS!"

Marcus was on his feet; all of Lily Stadium exploded in cheers of anticipation as Milo's now-famous ace Pokémon took the field, her blue rings shining fiercely under the lights of Lily Stadium.

"There it is", Amaya shook her head with a rueful grin, "Ark can kiss that Aegislash goodbye. Milo's about to hit a whole new level."

"Sword! Snipe her, use Shadow Ball!"

"He's vulnerable! Pursuit!"

"Predictable", Ark shot back, "Turn and fire another Shadow Ball!"

 _Oh_ , Milo thought, _I'm predictable, am I? Let's see, Ark._

"Protect! Dark Pulse, then out!"

True to form, Milo seemed to flip some inner switch once he and Azura got down to business, and the crafty Umbreon made Sword's clever secondary attack look like a joke with her preemptive Protect. Before the Aegislash or his stunned Trainer could react, the Royal Sword Pokémon took a massive hit from Dark Pulse, and the Ghost's instinctive counter struck only thin air as Azura got to safety.

"Stay with me, Sword", counseled the Aura Guardian, "They can't Protect forever. Use Aerial Ace!"

"We don't need to hide, Azura. Feint Attack."

It was a clinically perfect move, and the chemistry between Milo and his Moonlight Pokémon was on display yet again. She had launched into the move before he was even done saying it out loud. It was timed to perfection, and Sword took another big hit, as Milo's Dark type once again retreated to keep her buffer space.

Still, they weren't done yet. The Aegislash bravely hauled itself upright, ready to continue.

"Hmm. Try a Shock Wave!"

"Cut a hole and use it, Azura. Confusion, Shadow Ball."

The Dark type needed every bit of her considerable speed to direct a Psychic blast into the onrushing Electric wave. Sword was, of course, hardly affected, but Azura was able to slice a hole through the Shock Wave through which she fired an inch-perfect Shadow Ball. Finally, the damage caught up to Ark Monty's Aegislash. Two big Fire moves, plus the pounding Azura had dished out, and he was down.

As the older Trainer recalled his third downed Pokémon, the crowd was already chanting;

"MI-LO! MI-LO!"

 _Shut them out_ , the Rookie told himself, _You're only halfway done. We still don't know what his sixth Pokémon is. Focus up._

In an effort to preserve the tactical advantage, Milo proactively recalled Azura, keeping her safe for later, in case she was needed again.

"Clever boy", conceded Ark, "Let's see whether you can close this out. Pierce! You're up!"

Milo took one look at the intimidating Pangoro and knew who he needed. He reached automatically for his most fearless Pokémon, and made the call;

"Drake, time to shine!"

 _Hehe_ , Drake set himself up quickly, _Bring it, big guy._

"Pierce", Ark was not wasting time, "Lead with a Hyper Voice!"

"That's a wide move, Drake. Down-up-down."

Like a flash, Drake was gone, leaving only the telltale hole in the ground to indicate Milo's latest trickery.

"That's a great dodge from Milo," Jenks was trying his best to keep up with the rapid-fire action below, "He avoids what might have been a devastating Hyper Voice! There's a Dig counterattack! Pangoro tries to strike back, but...oh, wow! Garchomp reads it perfectly with another Dig!"

Milo had unveiled another one of his tricks – Drake had executed the 'down-up-down' perfectly.

"Pierce", Ark was prepared to demonstrate his own adaptability, "Go for a Hammer Arm, right in front of Milo!"

The Pangoro wasn't particularly fast, but Ark's plan made up for that. Just as he predicted, Drake's second Dig attack brought him shooting out of the ground in front of Milo...just in time to receive a big Hammer Arm to the face.

 _CRAP! That freaking hurt!_

 _My bad, Drake. Stay with me._

 _Oh, he is going to regret pissing me off!_

Drake was still on the ground where he'd landed after being hit, and as Pierce lumbered towards him once again, Milo's wily Garchomp looked up and fired a swift Flamethrower which caught the Daunting Pokémon by surprise and sent him stumbling backwards.

"There you go, Drake! Pepper him, use that speed!"

"Perfect adjustment", commented Amaya above, "Garchomp took that hit because Milo let him get too close, so now he'll keep his distance. Pangoro is way too slow to keep up."

"I see what you mean", nodded Jenks as Drake landed a Stone Edge before dashing out of Pierce's range yet again, "Ark will have to find another answer. Milo is also doing a good job denying him time and space for another Hyper Voice."

On the field, Milo could all but feel the heat rising from his overworked brain as he encouraged his Garchomp;

"Come on, Drake! Keep after him!"

Pierce was an absolute tank. He had now taken the initial Dig, a Flamethrower, a Stone Edge, and then another Flamethrower, but he still came barreling as fast as he could manage towards the speedy Mach Pokémon.

"Play it careful", warned the Rookie, knowing this victory could provide him a critical advantage.

"Pierce", Ark switched strategies on a dime, "Find him and use Gunk Shot!"

"That's it!" Amaya actually stood as she watched, knowing all too well what was coming, "Milo wins!"

Just like so many times before, Milo was one step ahead. He'd known all about Pierce's devastating Poison attack, and Drake was ready.

"Counter, Dragon Rush! Then Dig out, and Earthquake!"

Drake actually ran _towards_ the Gunk Shot before nullifying it completely with a well-timed Iron Head. The Steel move rendered the Gunk Shot useless, and Drake had already launched into a fearsome Dragon Rush that slammed into Ark's Daunting Pokémon. Just as Milo predicted, Pierce struck back with a Slash, but hit only thin air.

Drake wasn't waiting around, and his Dig took him safely out of range. Before the bewildered Ark Monty could react to any of this, the Dragon reappeared and fired off a massive Earthquake that at last brought Pierce to his knees, and finally face down in the dirt.

"WOOOO!"

Kara screamed until her lungs felt like bursting, adding her enthusiastic voice to the deafening reaction of the crowd. Milo was beginning to feel like an untouchable well-oiled machine. With plays of that complexity and brutal effectiveness ready to go at the drop of a hat, who could stop this one-of-a-kind team?

Oddly, Milo and Drake seemed the least excited about their massive victory. Both Pokémon and Trainer were thinking along exactly the same lines.

 _He's got two left_ , Milo noted, _And we know Anubis will anchor the team._

 _That leaves just the wild card_ , finished Drake, _Time to see what he's got._

It was easy enough to guess that Ark would finally reveal his mystery sixth Pokémon, but guessing that didn't help Milo at all. He readied himself as Ark recalled his fallen Pangoro.

"Time for a bit of a surprise, Milo. I've made a new friend I think you should meet – Otta, it's show time!"

With a red flash and a truly staggering roar...a Tyrantrum burst onto the field, drawing gasps of shock from the watchers.

 _He is one massive sucker_ , admitted Drake.

Milo just blinked. He knew very little about Tyrantrum, given that they were rare even in their home region of Kalos and had almost never been seen or used anywhere else. Ark Monty quickly realized he finally had Milo at a loss, and acted quickly;

"Otta! Rock Slide!"

"Drake, down!"

Milo was scrambling, and it cost him;

"Earthquake!"

"Drake, NO!"

There was nothing he could do. He watched in slow-motion as the monstrous Despot Pokémon let loose a staggering Earthquake that was all the more powerful because Drake was in the midst of the underground phase of his Dig attack.

Already damaged and exhausted from his extended bout with Pierce, Drake emerged shakily back onto the surface of the field, already staggering.

 _That...freaking...sucked…_

The proud Garchomp sank to his knees, but as he began to collapse he shot a last-gasp Stone Edge into the face of Ark's wild card, taking the Tyrantrum by surprise. It was a parting shot, and didn't do all that much damage, but it was more of a symbolic statement – a final 'screw you' to the opponent who had beaten him so quickly.

The crowd was in an uproar at this sudden reversal of momentum – Milo was still up 4-2, of course, but Ark's Tyrantrum had just laid waste to the Rookie's fearsome Garchomp with one fell swoop.

"Wow", even Amaya couldn't find the words, "I did _not_ see that coming."

"I think most of us would agree", nodded Jenks, "Most importantly, Milo didn't see it coming."

Milo felt his hand moving almost before he knew what exactly he was doing. Looking down, he stopped himself;

 _I...Why am I already going for Azura? Take a breath, Milo. Think. Now is not the time to press the panic button._

He shut his eyes for a moment, doing his best to ignore the pressure of the screaming battle enthusiasts packed in to watch him.

 _Keep it simple_ , he thought determinedly, _Be myself. How do I take down a big Dragon-Rock type?_

Just like that, a new plan appeared, one that was much more elegant than just throwing in Azura and hoping for the best;

"Aurora! You're in!"

He was momentarily satisfied to see Ark Monty's eyes narrow, his adversary's mind struggling to work out just what Milo hoped to accomplish with a Glaceon against a Tyrantrum. The Aura Protector of Eterna was clever, though; he had seen Milo's previous fights, and he knew better than to let this Glaceon get herself set up. With the protection of Hail, she was a tough opponent no matter what the matchup.

"Otta, Earthquake!"

"Protect, then Hail!"

"Ha!" Amaya was clearly amused as she gave her thoughts to the television viewers across the region, "That's downright disrespectful from Milo. Ark knew what he wanted and had a plan to stop it, but Milo just used Protect to make space for Hail anyway."

"Agreed", nodded Jenks, "Milo's message here is clear; you might know what I want, but it doesn't matter. You still can't stop me."

Below, Ark's frustration was evident in his screwed up face and clenched fist. He, like so many before him, was now faced with the daunting task of tracking down Aurora in her natural element – with a bulky Dragon type, no less.

"Try another Earthquake, Otta!"

It was a taxing move to use repeatedly, but with limited options the Aura Guardian was prepared to take that risk.

"Stop him, Aurora! Quick Attack, Ice Fang!"

Actually, this was a much closer call than the Jubilife Rookie had intended. Aurora was barely able to get into close range in time for her Ice Fang to prevent the large Ground move.

"Recover quickly, Otta! Use Rock Slide in front of you on the left!"

"Momentum, Aurora!"

Milo wasn't going to make the same mistake again. He had an exit strategy this time; Aurora was already charging forward, and had only to keep herself moving to carry her run safely behind the Despot Pokémon and out of harm's way, as Rock Slide came crashing down behind her.

"Now turn and hit him! Then move again!"

Exposed by his attempted Rock Slide, Otta the Tyrantrum was helpless to avoid the Blizzard attack that rocked him for even more super-effective damage.

Frustrated and hurting, Otta gave a deafening roar as Milo kept his barrage up;

"Keep that rhythm going, girl! Make him find you!"

Twisting and turning, the Dragon in the midst of Milo's expertly managed hailstorm simply presented too big a target. Aurora couldn't miss. Now an Ice Beam from the left, a Water Pulse from behind, Blizzard from the other side, there seemed no end to it.

"This is maddening", Ark muttered, "I'm not even making progress. How could he counter a Pokémon he didn't even know about? I was so sure my little surprise would work..."

Up above, Amaya and Jenks were reaching a similar conclusion;

"This is, to me, what sets Milo apart", observed the media expert, "Milo, like most JPTA alumni, has stores upon stores of knowledge. What differentiates him, though, is his adaptability."

"Not quite", Amaya thought carefully, as Otta screamed and began launching Rock Slides anywhere and everywhere he could, "Adaptability is great, but what fuels that is how he processes and analyzes all that stuff he knows. He can make 15 plans, consider them all, and choose the best one before most people have even one plan."

Things on the field took yet another twist, and the crowd gave a round of 'ooh's as Aurora at last struck gold with a quick Ice Beam. It had become rather difficult for her to find any space to launch her moves, given that she was now dodging Rock Slide attacks right and left. This final Ice Beam was the last straw for the furious Otta, who sank to his knees before keeling over in defeat at last.

Milo felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders as Ark's wild card Pokémon hit the dirt. Only one more foe now stood between him and a spot in the final; Anubis.

"That was incredible", Ark nodded in acknowledgement, "But you know what's coming next, Milo. It's all or nothing and I've got one shot to turn this around."

Silently, Milo returned Aurora. She had done a fantastic job, but all her running and exertion had no doubt exhausted her.

 _Besides_ , he reasoned, _This one will be personal. There's only one Pokémon I can realistically call on here. She's earned it._

As Anubis took his place starkly on Ark's side of the field, the pressure and anticipation inside Lily Stadium took a noticeable hike. There was no way this final bout could be anything but epic – it would take nothing less than that to defeat this magnificent Lucario.

Milo pulled the requisite Pokéball from his belt;

"It's time. Ferra, bring it home!"

The cheers and excited chattering grew only louder at this; a Lucario-on-Lucario battle!

Across the field, Ark Monty gave a solemn nod of approval;

"Fitting", he said.

There was a breathless pause. Neither Trainer and neither Pokémon moved a muscle for several long seconds. Even the crowd fell into a hush, and Amaya and Jenks didn't speak in the commentary booth as the tension built and built like a pressure cooker.

It was Ark who broke the unexpected deadlock with a single word;

"Go."

There was a burst of activity, too fast for anyone to follow. Before anyone could tell quite what was happening, Anubis had crossed the field, and there was a cry from Ferra before another blast sent Ark's Lucario sprawling.

"WHOA!" Jenks did his best to provide _some_ idea of what had just transpired, as the crowd exploded back into life, "I think...in that split second _both_ Lucario landed solid hits on one another!"

"I guess Anubis has Agility", contributed Amaya, "and there was a flash in there somewhere that looked like Detect. That's all I got, though. It does look like they both got hit."

Two people in the whole stadium knew exactly how it had gone down, and they were standing on opposite sides of the field.

 _That was a good Detect_ , Milo encouraged his self-appointed daughter, _He got a Bone Rush in, but your Force Palm was stronger. Focus up, he won't stay down for long._

Ferra blinked, not quite sure herself what exactly she'd done besides trust her instincts. Nevertheless, Milo was right, and her uncle didn't stay down very long.

"Anubis", Ark was more serious than Milo had ever seen him, "Don't hold back."

 _Papa…!_

Ferra was caught completely off guard as the older Aura Pokémon used Agility once again from his prone position on the ground. With no time to react, Milo's eyes shot wide open as Ferra was subjected to a relentless series of massive attacks. She just spun away from a Bone Rush, only to take a Drain Punch to the chest. She stumbled back, but not far enough to escape Anubis' brutal Close Combat. She took two, three, four hits – and then Ark called from across the field;

"Finish this, Anubis."

The Aura Pokémon took a step back to set himself before landing a blistering Aura Sphere. Milo's heart was in his throat. He had suspected that Ferra might lack the experience to compete with her uncle, but the beating she'd taken was...merciless. He reached for his belt to recall her, but a pained voice echoed in his mind;

 _No...I won't lose. He thinks...I'm down…_

 _Are you sure? I can let the rest of the team wrap this up._

 _NO! I...AM...STRONG!_

With a roar, Ferra came sprinting back at her unsuspecting uncle, her Quick Attack culminating in a Blaze Kick that connected solidly with his side.

"Come on, Ferra! Keep moving, get around him!"

A desperate Milo urged his 'daughter' onward as the crowd gasped, shocked that she had survived Anubis' onslaught.

"Unbelievable!" Jenks was yelling into his commentator's microphone, "After taking a staggering amount of damage, Milo's Lucario is back up with a vengeance!"

"This could be the end of the battle", said Amaya, disbelief evident in her voice as Ferra wailed on the stumbling Anubis, a Cross Chop forcing him further back, "When Ferra gets like this there's no stopping her."

Anubis did his level best to dodge and weave between the hits that were raining down on him, or use Agility to back off, but Ferra wouldn't give him the chance.

Ark was speechless. He knew there was nothing he could say – this was a battle between the two Lucario, and they alone would decide the outcome.

Anubis was starting to gain traction once more, using close-range Aura Sphere and Bone Rush attacks to deflect some of Ferra's wild hits. Still, he was getting pummeled back and forth across the field, and Ferra was only gaining momentum as the seconds ticked by.

The cheers of delight and disbelief rose in a mighty crescendo as Ferra's rampage stretched on and on.

Milo felt his own energy boiling over, and somehow he sensed that this insane bout was coming to a head one way or another. As if from afar, he heard his own voice screaming;

"FERRA, DO IT!"

With a final yell of effort, the younger of the two Lucario smacked a clean Force Palm into her uncle's body, her other hand already charging an Aura Sphere that she fired into his flailing form. He went spinning like a rag doll to land across the field in a heap.

Now, at long last, she stopped.

Ferra's chest was heaving, her breathing was heavy and labored. She blinked, and saw Anubis laid out before her, utterly spent and defeated.

Somewhere, a muffled voice proclaimed;

"Lucario is unable to battle, so – erm – Lucario is the winner! The battle goes to Milo of Jubilife!"

 _What...just happened?_

"FERRAAA!"

Milo's voice called jubilantly to her, and she turned to him, still a bit confused, as her uncle's voice echoed in her mind.

 **You are...truly...a worthy daughter of Fenrir…**

Finally, the noise of the frenzied crowd reached her through the haze of adrenaline, just as her beloved Trainer reached her and wrapped her in a fervent embrace.

"Ferra", Milo was choking up, "That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen! You did it! You beat Anubis; you absolutely crushed him! I'm so, _so_ proud of you!"

 _Papa…? I don't even – I don't remember what happened…_

"In all my years," Ark Monty had crossed the field to congratulate them, "I have never seen such absolute determination. It was an honor to witness, and I will never forget it, as long as I live."

The Aura Protector's dramatic streak shone through, and he raised Milo's arm to the crowd as if declaring him a boxing champion.

Up in the stands, Milo's friends and family could scarcely contain their excitement;

"He's done it! Oh my little boy, oh Milo", Zoe was beside herself with motherly pride, shedding tears of joy. Alexander wrapped an arm around his wife's shoulders, pumping his other fist in the air;

"AHA! That's right; our boy is in the Conference final! Way to show them how it's done, son! Way to go!"

In the commentary booth, Amaya seemed to have short-circuited, staring wide-eyed at the field. Jenks was still trying to recover his own breath, but he did his best to offer commentary on the surreal scene;

"Folks, we've just witnessed something truly special! With a singularly heroic effort, Milo's Lucario takes down the one and only Anubis and secures a convincing 4-0 victory in this first semifinal. Milo has earned himself a spot in the Lily of the Valley Conference final!"

"'Earned' is right", Amaya was ready to speak at last, "That battle was much closer than the final result would suggest. At the end of the day, I think Ark was more powerful, but Milo's team was more versatile. His adaptability and team diversity won him this battle."

"I won't argue that", Jenks kept things moving along, "With that, we'll send it back to the studio for further discussion – Amaya, thank you again for joining us, and best of luck in your own battle coming up shortly!"

Contrary to what Milo had felt going into his battle, Amaya was almost bored as she concluded the live broadcast, disentangled herself from the mess of wires and equipment that kept everything running properly, and headed down to get prepped for her latest fight against Damion.

She wasn't even bothered by their personal history. Sure, there had been that moment of...well, _something_ in Snowpoint, but she had thoroughly shut the door on that.

 _I won't even be in Sinnoh next season,_ she reasoned, _so it's not worth even considering. Too little too late, Damion._

She sat in her staging room, head bobbing to the music in her signature black headphones, whiling away the time while all the news folks were frothing at the mouth over Milo.

That, she knew, would be a much more stressful fight – the final against Milo. Damion was just Damion, but...Milo had come a very long way recently, _and_ he'd had a head start on her from the get-go. She had no doubt that she _could_ beat her friend and rival, but only if she and her team had an absolutely perfect performance.

As the one hour break ticked slowly by, Marcus felt a buzz on his watch. He looked down, wondering who might be calling him now, of all times –and he felt his face darken. It was Grimsley.

His brain was whirring as he stepped over to a relatively secluded corner to take this call in private.

"Go ahead."

"Marcus, it's good to see you. I'm here with Sidney and Nanu."

The Hearthome Leader's brow scrunched as he stated the obvious;

"Sidney and Nanu...but not Karen?"

Now it was Grimsley's turn to wear a sour expression as he sighed and addressed the Donphan in the room;

"Look, Marcus, we found out about what happened – what she did. That's…why we're calling."

"What about it? Milo already quit the Order, but that's not news to you either."

The Unova Elite took a few seconds to pick his words carefully before responding;

"Does it feel to you, Marcus, like Karen perhaps _planned_ for his departure from our organization?"

"What are you implying?"

"You know her. If she planned this far ahead, she would've known Milo wouldn't stay with us. That means all anyone has done is play into her hands and prove her right."

"What's your point?"

The real reason for this sudden call was coming. Marcus could feel his colleague building carefully towards whatever it was that he wanted. Grimsley took a small breath and lowered his voice before speaking;

"She's out of control, Marcus. That kind of strategy, putting your brother at risk like that, it's not the way this Order should operate."

"I...won't argue that."

Marcus' short, guarded responses were buying him time to figure out Grimsley's intentions; he didn't want to show any kind of reaction until all the cards were on the table.

"Marcus", insisted Grimsley, "The Order was made to _defend_ society, not to fight an all-out war. We can't, or _shouldn't_ , beat the League and the Tribe by stooping to their levels."

"Spit it out, Grimsley. Come on."

"I – we – would hate to see our proud Order lose its purpose after centuries of work to reach this point. Karen has to face the consequences of her disregard for those under her command. A...A change in leadership is needed, to preserve the Order of Shadows as it should be."

"Are...you proposing that Karen be removed as Shadow Master?"

A nod.

"Someone would have to take her place. Which of us would take charge?"

Grimsley just raised his eyebrows pointedly.

"Ah", suddenly it all came together, "That's why you're all calling me together. You want me to overthrow Karen and take her place as Shadow Master."

"We'd all support you, of course. It would have to be done extremely carefully", cautioned Grimsley, "We would only get one shot at it. What do you think?"

"I'm in."

"...Wait, really? Just like that?"

All of Marcus' pent-up fury came boiling quickly back to the surface, as the chance for genuine revenge at last presented itself. He knew he could restore the Order, redirect it just as Ziron had. He agreed in full with Grimsley's assessment – Karen had to go, and he was the most logical successor.

"She used me, and she almost got Milo killed. Someone like that isn't worthy of being the Master of this Order. I'm in."

"Figures", snorted Nanu in the background, "After we planned a big freaking speech and all that crap. Whatever."

Grimsley's surprised face melted into an eerie grin;

"Excellent. We'll be in touch about the details...Shadow Master Marcus."

As the other members of the Inner Circle hung up, the Hearthome Leader felt only a cold sense of readiness. This needed to happen, and he would see it done no matter the cost.

 _Change is coming, Karen_ , he thought, _Maybe not tomorrow, maybe not for a while, but...you will face the consequences of your actions. Mark my words._

For now, though, he returned to his seat to watch Amaya take on Damion in the evening's second semifinal.

Cheers of "HAMMER, HAMMER!" were already ringing out as the two 'Super Rookies' stepped out and shook hands in the middle of the field. No words were exchanged – they had too much history for that.

Up in the commentary booth, Milo and Jenks kicked off the live broadcast.

"We're about to get underway here", began the expert journo, "Milo, congratulations on your victory earlier – can you sum up this second battle for us? What's the underlying question here?"

"Thank you, Robert, good to be here. Can I sum this battle up…? Hmm, well the deciding factor here will be Damion. The expectation here is that Amaya wins this easily, so anything more, even a close defeat, will feel like a win for him. I guess the question here is – does Damion have the guts and the right plan to finally take down Amaya?"

"An interesting assessment, Milo. What kind of odds do you give Damion to pull off something like that?"

"Truthfully, I'm not expecting too much. Amaya is just too far ahead, too powerful. She's had his number all season at the Rookie tournaments, and I see no reason for that to change now."

"Well, we're about to find out. The referee has made the call...and we're off! Our first round will be Amaya's Milotic against Damion's Crobat!"

The crowd roared in approval. This battle, it seemed, would begin with a bang – Coral was one of the single most powerful Pokémon in the whole Conference. In the stands, however, Marcus was far less impressed.

"Why, Amaya? Now she can't use the rest of her team until Coral goes down. That makes _zero_ sense. Ugh, she's not taking this seriously…"

"Lead with Ice Beam!"

"Evade, Crobat! Supersonic!"

For all her power, Coral had always been weak to the status game, and she couldn't do much as the slippery Crobat ducked out of the way of her Ice Beam to launch the confusion-inducing Supersonic.

"Yes!" Damion was eager to press his advantage, "Now get in there and use Poison Fang!"

"No! Coral, Twister!"

The big Dragon move was the perfect counter for a fast Flying type like Crobat, but…

"Oh wow", Milo shook his head and explained, "Amaya tried to get that Twister in as a blocking move, but Coral just wound up damaging herself."

"Looks like Poison Fang was perfect as well", added Jenks, "Amaya finds herself in a tough spot here. Her ace Pokémon is confused and poisoned in the very first round."

Down on the field, Damion had ordered his Bat Pokémon to back off, wary of The Hammer's next move;

"Coral, Water Pulse!"

Too late, the resilient Milotic shook off the confusion from Supersonic, and her wide-ranging Water Pulse struck home, leaving the relatively flimsy Crobat open for a beat-down the Twinleaf Trainer was only too happy to dish out.

"Ice Beam, Coral! Then Twister!"

Damion's Bat Pokémon had no chance against the furious onslaught. The Ice Beam, the Twister, and a Hydro Pump for good measure all smashed into it at full force. In the midst of it all, Damion yelled;

"Fight through, Crobat! Venoshock!"

It was a kamikaze play – the Veilstone Super Rookie knew as well as anyone else that his Crobat was done for. Still, his insistence on endurance just paid out as the Poison type landed a Venoshock that was particularly damaging, due to Coral's poisoned state.

"Wow!" Jenks re-situated himself in his seat, trying to catch his breath, "After a brutal first round from both sides, Damion takes the first loss of the battle – his Crobat is down for the count."

"That'll still feel like a win for him," Milo contributed, "Amaya's Milotic is by far the biggest threat on her team and now she's damaged and poisoned. If he can finish the job quickly and efficiently, this battle might be closer to an even match."

"Get in there, Empoleon!"

It was the perfect tactical play from Damion. His starter was the epitome of his defensive, never-say-die attitude, and Coral had a hard time limit on her ability to continue.

"Quick, use Drill Peck!"

"Damion's taking no chances here," Milo nodded, "He'll take Coral down as fast as he can to avoid some kind of miracle play. Amaya won't get any mercy this time."

"Destroy him, Coral! Dragon Tail, Bulldoze!"

It was a tactic the Veilstone boy was intimately familiar with – he'd been on the receiving end of Coral's Dragon Tail more times than he wanted to count.

"Pull up, Empoleon, PULL UP! Bubblebeam!"

The Emperor Pokémon was tough, but not exactly agile. He saw the danger but couldn't cancel his Drill Peck in time to escape the Dragon Tail. His sluggishness left him wide open when Coral came barreling forward in a remarkable Bulldoze that struck Empoleon for super effective damage.

Still, Damion's strategy shone through yet again – Empoleon grimaced, but was back up and raring to go. He fired off the Bubblebeam his Trainer had ordered, just to prove he could.

There was a pause as both Pokémon glared at one another, damaged and exhausted.

Amaya bit her lip before making a risky play;

"Coral, Water Pulse, then Recover!"

"Aqua Jet! Drill Peck! Metal Claw!"

Milo actually stood up, awed as the battle changed pace abruptly.

"What a play!" He wasn't one to praise Damion, but he had to recognize the genius of his adversary's move.

Instead of going wide, which was Amaya's plan, Empoleon's Aqua Jet brought him safely underneath the Water Pulse as Coral fired it from on high. He then switched smoothly into the more effective Drill Peck – Coral was unable to block as she was trying to buy more time with Recover. For good measure, as the Tender Pokémon cried out, Damion's starter added his Metal Claw, a savage blow.

"Back off, now, back off!"

Wary of Coral's arsenal of heavy-hitting moves, Damion watched Amaya's Milotic with wide, unblinking eyes, holding his breath as Empoleon retreated to a 'safe' distance.

"Coral…" Amaya could see her first-ever Pokémon going down, but there was time for one last, desperate play;

"Use Return!"

The Normal move wasn't very effective against a half-Steel type, but such was Coral's raw power and absolute love for her human that the blinding, ferocious blast, summoned by the intensity of the Milotic's feelings, knocked Empoleon out cold, just like that. Then, at long last, Coral succumbed to the damage and poison leeching her energy away, and went down.

As the dust settled, the roar from the crowd nearly drowned out the referee as he made the call;

"Both Milotic and Empoleon are unable to battle! Trainers, please call your next Pokémon!"

"WHAT A MOVE!" Marcus and his father were both losing their minds in the stands, "That was INSANE!"

"It does worry me that she lost Coral so early," cautioned Amaya's father, "Still, if all of her team have that kind of devotion and heroism ready to go, she'll pull through okay."

Down on the field, Amaya had made another...interesting choice. Granted, she'd had precious little time to consider her options, but she had called for Granite just as Damion released his Machamp. Grimacing visibly at her lapse in judgement, she decided to put herself on the front foot;

"Granite, Earthquake!"

"You got this, Machamp! Vital Throw!"

Amaya's Iron Snake produced an Earthquake that was nothing to sniff at, but Machamp just hunkered down and began closing in for the Vital Throw. Granite was left exposed by Machamp's startling display of sturdiness, and found himself laid out painfully on the ground by the Fighting move.

"Now get in and wail on him, Machamp!"

"No! Granite, twist and Flash Cannon!"

"Block with Focus Blast!"

As Machamp's Fighting type blast nullified Granite's counterattack, Jenks commented;

"Damion is absolutely on fire today! Numerically, he's losing, but his Machamp is moving in with type advantage on the second of Amaya's powerhouses! If he can close this out here, all the hardest work will already be done! No doubt Amaya was counting on her Milotic and Steelix to put up at least two or three wins each."

"I'm not sure she was counting on much of anything," Milo responded with a nervous shake of the head, "This battle really feels like she just walked in with no plan, expecting to roll over Damion like usual. She's approached this match too casually so far."

By this time, Machamp had successfully overwhelmed Amaya's downed Steelix, and she numbly recalled Granite.

"It's hard to see," Milo noted, "But Amaya is absolutely in shock right now. Damion has been at her throat from the get-go, and now he's actually fought this back to a tie, four Pokémon each."

Amaya's confusion was only compounded when Damion recalled his victorious Machamp, electing to save the Superpower Pokémon for a later matchup.

 _Damn_ , thought the Twinleaf Rookie, _He knew I would call Spirielle if he left it in._

She was struggling now to recall what other Pokémon her Veilstone rival had left. She knew all about his Empoleon, but she hadn't bothered to prepare anything for the rest of his team, assuming they'd pose no threat. Now, with the pressure weighing heavily on her small shoulders, she flicked feverishly through her frustratingly hazy memories, to battles past...

 _Come on...Come on, 'Maya, think! What does he have left?_

She had precious little time to make a call, she knew, and she could only think of one of Damion's Pokémon she hadn't yet seen.

 _He's got a Staraptor. That would make sense; he wants to press his advantage with a fast attack-based Pokémon. Okay, so I need…_

"Leon, get in there!"

"Golem! Magnitude!"

Amaya could only watch in horror, heart in her throat as her Luxray burst bravely onto the field only to be met with a staggering Magnitude attack from Damion's Rock type.

"Move in, Earthquake!"

It was a lot of exertion, using two such moves back to back, but Damion had set his sights on a quick and brutal victory, knowing how deadly Amaya could be when allowed back into a fight she was losing.

Sure enough, Leon couldn't set himself after the Magnitude, and he cried out in pain as the damage poured in mercilessly.

"Leon, NO! If you're still with me, get in there with Ice Fang!"

"Finish him, Golem! Stone Edge!"

It was a terrifying sight to see for Damion and Golem as the furious Leon came barreling out of the dust cloud raised by Earthquake. He was scraped, bruised, and heavily damaged, but he had a raw rage in his eyes that defied all explanation.

"How is he still able to continue?"

Jenks couldn't believe it as Leon came flying forward. Despite his obvious advantage, Damion's Golem faltered at the haunting sight of the crazed Luxray. The Ground type's Stone Edge was late and off-target, and he took an Ice Fang to the face for his lapse in concentration.

Unfortunately for Leon and Amaya, Golem's pain broke the spell of intimidation, and he surged forward, striking the brave Gleam Eyes Pokémon with an unbidden, full-force Giga Impact. This time there could be no doubt about the result.

"Luxray is unable to continue! Golem is the winner!"

By now, Amaya was struggling to control the tremble in her hands as she recalled her downed Electric type.

 _I'm losing_ , she realized, _I'm losing to Damion. Damn it, what's wrong with me? Come ON, Amaya! Okay, okay – take a breath._

Looking up at the referee, Amaya called sullenly for a timeout. In most high pressure six on six matches at big tournaments like this one, both sides were usually granted one timeout call to use at any point during the battle.

"That's a smart call," noted Milo above, "She won't have liked using a timeout, but I think this is a turning point. This will ice Damion's momentum and give her a chance to get her head on straight and make an actual plan."

Milo knew his friend all too well, it turned out;

"Damn it," she sank into a seat the instant the door of her staging room closed behind her. Head in hands, she stared at the floor for several seconds, waiting for her brain to cool off enough to function properly.

"Okay, what are we up against here?"

She didn't much care, at this point, that she was talking to herself. Anything to help her work through this.

"Machamp is still there at some point, so I can't lead off with Glacius. He's got that Golem, the Staraptor, and...what was it? Umm, Toxicroak? Yeah! His sixth is a Toxicroak."

With her mind once again firing on all cylinders, she felt that familiar spark inside her. For the first time since the battle started, she felt her face twist of its own accord into that confident smirk she usually wore.

She relished the feeling, diving headlong into her newfound sense of grounded confidence.

"There we go," she told herself, "It's just Damion, after all. Focus up and win."

Contrary to popular belief, Amaya was a much more emotional battler than Milo. He was no doubt the more expressive of the two in battle, but her strategies, her tactics, everything about her and her team was guided by a deep-seated passion. Now she felt it blazing hot inside her. She allowed herself to feel furious that Damion had caught her off guard. She savored the need for revenge for the way he'd eliminated Coral.

 _Ding!_

A light flashed above her. Timeout was over – the battle was ready to resume.

"HAM-MER! HAM-MER!"

The chants ringing down from the crowd washed over her as she stared with cold eyes across the field at Damion Parr. His eyes were narrowed and focused on her. On his face was the scowl she had been wearing for the first half of their fight.

 _That's right_ , she thought briefly, _You don't know what I'm up to anymore. No more games._

"Battle...begin!"

"Spirielle, you're in."

"Golem, get back in there!"

In the commentary booth, Jenks couldn't wait to get back into the action;

"We're ready to continue at last! A smart pick from Damion, trying to create some continuity and build back the momentum he took into that timeout. He's also got something of a type advantage here."

"True," Milo added, "But Amaya's pick is more about a tactical shift than a type-based play. Her Gengar has a different style of fighting than her powerhouses. This is a change of pace."

Damion, unfortunately, did not recognize this, and tried to utilize his type advantage;

"Go for an Earthquake, Golem!"

"Stop him with Psychic."

The speedy Gengar easily got her attack in before Earthquake could trouble her. Amaya had set herself up for a rampage;

"Now Hypnosis!"

Once again, speed made all the difference, and suddenly Damion's Rock type was a very large and very vulnerable sleeping target. The most obvious follow-up would have been Dream Eater, but Amaya had other plans;

"Energy Ball, rapid fire!"

The prone Megaton Pokémon took one, two, three, four big hits from the doubly super effective Grass type move before waking up, only to collapse, unconscious, to the ground.

"HAMMER! HAMMER!"

The crowd absolutely loved the shift in momentum, as Amaya laid waste to Damion's Golem in no time flat.

Jenks offered his thoughts on what he considered a critical juncture in the battle for both Trainers;

"Damion really needs to be bold here. He's lost his rhythm, but if he wins the next round he can keep his lead, and force Amaya to come up with another big play."

Amaya fans around the stadium were in full voice, so much so that it was difficult to hear Damion call his next Pokémon as his voice rang out over the loudspeaker;

"Toxicroak, get in there!"

It took the Twinleaf Rookie all of half a second to spot the obvious flaw in her rival's plan – Toxicroak's crippling weakness to Psychic attacks;

"Spirielle, use Psychic!"

"Pursuit, quickly!"

Suddenly, Amaya's newfound confidence looked a bit like overconfidence as her Gengar took a big hit from the Dark move.

"An interesting turn here," Milo frowned in concentration, "Damion is going out on a limb, counting on Toxicroak's off-type Dark moves to damage Gengar."

"Well, that does sound like the kind of bold play we said he needed."

"Again, Spirielle! Psychic!"

"Pursuit."

The result was the same as the first exchange, and Amaya's Shadow Pokémon went spinning as the damage quickly began piling up on her.

"What is she doing? Why go for the same thing again?"

Marcus was almost as frustrated as Amaya herself at her lack of tactical awareness.

"Come on, 'Maya!" Kara couldn't do much but cheer, so she was determined to cheer as hard as humanly possible for her Twinleaf friend.

Damion, meanwhile, never imagined his brain could move this fast for this long. Frankly, he was amazed that he had kept up this long.

 _Don't freak out now_ , he told himself sternly, _Just keep it together. Come on!_

He blinked, realizing almost too late that Amaya was trying to switch tactics;

"Shadow Ball!"

"Toxicroak, dodge!"

Needing no second bidding, the Toxic Mouth Pokémon dashed to his left, just as Amaya sprung her trap;

"Get in with Lick!"

With no time to throw together an effective counter, Damion just screamed;

"RIGHT!"

Toxicroak barely managed to set his feet and launch horizontally to the right, avoiding the paralyzing Lick attack by mere inches.

"Hit him, Spirielle! Shadow Punch!"

"Sucker Punch!"

The words slipped out before Damion had a chance to really process what he was thinking, but his instincts had served him perfectly. The Dark move slammed into Amaya's Ghost and Toxicroak scrambled frantically away, buying time and space as Amaya became more and more frustrated.

"Use Hypnosis!"

"Pursuit!"

Same strategy. Same result. There were any number of things Amaya could have done to break Damion's simplistic tactic of using his only two Dark moves to counterattack (Milo was frantically outlining at least three of them from the broadcasting booth), but she was not graced with her friend's adaptability, and had a strong case of tunnel vision. Over and over again she tried to bludgeon the stubborn Toxic Mouth Pokémon into submission, and each time she was repulsed.

Finally, after what had become a rather dismal performance from her normally untouchable Gengar, Amaya was forced to watch Spirielle give in. The Shadow Pokémon let the mounting damage overtake her, and she stayed down.

Despite all her momentum coming out of the timeout, Amaya was now once again behind, losing 2-3 to the best performance anyone had ever seen from Damion Parr. Not only that, but she had already used her only timeout, so she could do nothing more than take a short moment's pause, hardly enough for a deep breath, and continue.

"Glacius," she snapped, "Get in there."

What she lacked in adaptability, Amaya was determined to make up for in raw determination. What she was missing in tactical precision she compensated for with team chemistry.

Glacius felt in an instant that something was off. The alert Weavile read her Trainer's body language in a heartbeat, and reflected it instinctively. Her eyes narrowed, her clawed feet dug into the battlefield, and her body tensed up.

"Milo," Jenks prompted the concerned young man, "Let's get your thoughts here; I don't think very many people could have predicted the way this battle has gone, what might we expect from here?"

"Well," he was trying desperately to be impartial, "Amaya has dug herself a pretty deep hole, but let's not forget that she's only one Pokémon behind, and she has one of her strongest yet to come – her Torterra. If Damion wants to close this out, he needs to double down and keep his head. It's not impossible, but you never know with The Hammer. The closer she is to defeat, the harder she'll fight it, and this is no exception."

On the field, the next round had begun rather cautiously from both sides. Amaya was doing everything in her power not to jump in rashly. She wanted _so badly_ to order Glacius in close to rip this thing to shreds, but trying to move in for a blitz cost her the previous round.

 _Just...just take safe shots, wait for an actual opening…_

"Icy Wind, Glacius."

"Dodge, Toxicroak. Pursuit!"

"Quick Attack away, go forward."

It ended in a stalemate. None of the attacks landed. It was another 'safe' exchange from both battlers. Now both Pokémon stood opposite their Trainers, circling slowly. Even the crowd had now fallen into a tense hush. This round felt like an explosion, just waiting to kick off at the drop of a pin.

 _Damn_ , Amaya was still struggling to control herself, _I can't rush in like last time. If I do, he'll just...he'll...wait a minute…_

The Twinleaf sensation came to a sudden realization at the same time Marcus outlined it excitedly in the box seats;

"She actually _should_ jump in here. Weavile is a much better matchup in the close range than Gengar was. The problems and type weakness that ruined her last round are gone. She needs to get aggressive before this Toxicroak wears her down."

Damion went for another cautious attack, and Amaya made the change she'd been so fervently looking for;

"Toxicroak, try a Poison Jab, then back out."

"Feint Attack! Wail on this thing!"

BAM! In a flash, the tense standoff-ish battle lit up. Damion's Pokémon had no chance to react as Glacius used his own attack against him. The Feint Attack pushed him awkwardly back before an Aerial Ace smashed him to the ground.

"Get up, Toxicroak! Up, and get away!"

"Keep him running, Glacius. Slash, Quick Attack, another Aerial Ace."

"Stand your ground, Toxicroak! Wait it out, then Sludge Bomb!"

The Hammer's eyes narrowed, but she had faith that not even Damion could withstand the physical blitz from her Weavile.

Sure enough, the Poison type grunted in pain as Slash struck home, and again as the Quick Attack forced him backwards. With a final cry from the super effective Aerial Ace, Amaya allowed herself to breathe.

 _Okay, we're tied back up. Just Machamp and -_

"NOW, Toxicroak!"

Out of nowhere, Damion's Toxic Mouth Pokémon came lunging out just far enough to aim and fire a Sludge Bomb.

Amaya and Glacius were caught absolutely flat-footed, and could do nothing as the powerful attack struck home and left Glacius clearly poisoned. Toxicroak hit the dirt a couple seconds later, unconscious, but it was still a brutal sudden twist in this dramatic battle.

"Wow," Milo was struggling to wrap his mind around this unexpected turnaround, "The back and forth just won't stop, regardless of the timeout. We're back to a tie now at two Pokémon apiece, but Amaya is going to lose her Weavile to that poison sooner rather than later, so Damion probably has his nose in front right now."

Not wanting to waste his momentum, Damion confidently called for his best chance at taking out Glacius;

"Machamp! You're back in!"

 _Damn it_ , Amaya couldn't deny the reality of her situation, _At this point, I have to start preparing for a last stand. I've got Terrus fresh…_

"Alright, Glacius, give me whatever you can!"

"Hunker down, Machamp," Damion's heart was in his throat, knowing how close he was to finally, _finally_ earning the victory he'd been hungry for all these months…

"Wait for your chance, it'll come!"

The big Fighting type felt the pressure of the moment, but held his ground bravely, as Glacius all but disappeared, so fast did she flash around, using Quick Attack repeatedly to look for an opening.

"Watch in front of you," Damion counseled his Pokémon, "I'll keep an eye out – BEHIND YOU! NOW!"

Blindly, the Superpower Pokémon threw two of his four arms behind him in a hopeful Karate Chop that somehow connected solidly with an onrushing Glacius. The big Fighting hit was incredibly effective against the Dark and Ice type, and Glacius went spinning like a rag doll across the field to land in a heap. Damage, exhaustion, and poison combined to keep her there.

As the referee made it official, a new chant arose from the crowd;

"VPC! VPC!"

Amaya was numb. She was in shock as she returned her fifth fallen Pokémon.

 _We're actually...evenly matched. He's caught up._

She reached for her belt to grab hold of her last hope as a counter-chant came from the staunch Amaya supporters in attendance;

"HAM-MER! HAM-MER!"

"Terrus," Amaya just managed to keep her voice level as she called on her starter, "Lead with Grass Knot."

Machamp was big and tough, but he was far too slow to dodge Terrus' vicious swinging ball of grass as it took his feet from under him painfully.

"Follow with Earthquake."

"Tank it, Machamp! Use Low Kick!"

Having weathered an Earthquake from Granite in his first victory, the Superpower Pokémon grimaced in discomfort at this second massive hit, but tank it he did, and Amaya was dumbfounded as he launched a perfect Low Kick that brought Terrus tumbling awkwardly down.

"That goes to show what defense-focused training can accomplish." Jenks nodded sagely up in the commentary booth, "Amaya is never quite ready for the perseverance of Damion's team."

"I agree," Milo said, "That's been plaguing her all battle long. She's running out of chances to get it right. Still, that Torterra is the second best on her team, after Coral the Milotic. He'll take a lot more beating than the last few Pokémon she's used."

Amaya had the same thought, and took a shuddering breath as Terrus forced himself upright, despite the Karate Chop follow-up delivered by Machamp.

"Knock him back. Energy Ball."

Once again, the mighty Continent Pokémon went above and beyond; he struck hard with the first Energy Ball, but was not satisfied until he landed another three, just for good measure. He gave a mighty roar, in defiance of this opponent who had the audacity to try and overpower _him_.

"Finish this, Terrus! Another Earthquake!"

This time, Amaya had calculated perfectly. Not even the stalwart Machamp could withstand three huge Ground moves as well as the Energy Ball blitz to which he'd been subjected. He hit the dirt, and the stage was set for one last bout;

"Here we go!" Milo resituated himself, leaning forward in anticipation along with the whole crowd, "This is it! One final round, winner takes all!"

Damion could feel his heart banging wildly in his chest.

 _I am SO DAMN CLOSE!_

"Come on, Staraptor! FINISH IT!"

For Amaya, tunnel vision kicked in, and time seemed to slow.

 _I promised_ , she told herself firmly, _I promised Milo I'd meet him in the final, and I'll be damned if I let this idiot take that from me. I won't lose. I can't lose. Not to him._

So strong-willed was the Twinleaf phenomenon that she felt all the pressure suddenly melt away. This was the same as the first round she'd ever contested with Damion – when it was Terrus the Turtwig versus Damion's Starly outside Jubilife City. She got a feeling, a _dangerous_ feeling.

 _I'm the freaking Hammer. I can do no wrong._

"Start a Giga Drain, Terrus."

"Show me that speed, Staraptor! Aerial Ace!"

"Now Crunch and throw!"

With a flawless bait and switch, Terrus clamped down hard on the incoming Predator Pokémon and flung it mercilessly to the ground.

"Now _that_ is a bold move!" Jenks all but screamed into his microphone as Lily Stadium roared its approval of Amaya's daring play, "What a statement by Amaya to pull out a trick like that in the final round of a Conference semifinal!"

Milo could only nod dumbly in agreement. He was wide-eyed, wearing a massive smile as he watched his best friend, his closest rival, bring everything she had to this all-important battle. He had to make sure he didn't start tearing up with emotion.

Meanwhile, Amaya was far from finished;

"It's exposed, Terrus! Use Rock Tomb!"

Staraptor cried out in pain – it was far less durable than Machamp or Empoleon, and Damion had been hoping to use his type advantage to force himself onto the front foot and close out the battle safely.

"Now get charging, Terrus!"

"Up! Staraptor, get UP! That's Solarbeam, you have to MOVE!"

With a harsh scream and a _lot_ of effort, the Flying type forced itself up and just out of harm's way as Terrus finished charging and launched the staggering beam attack.

"YES! Great, Staraptor, now Wing Attack!"

"Tank and use Return!"

Up in the booth, Milo leapt to his feet, yelling as he did so;

"THIS IS IT! One way or the other, it's over!"

It was a gamble from Amaya, a gamble with the highest possible stakes. Terrus bore the damage from Machamp, as well as the exhaustion of two hard-fought rounds, and Wing Attack would be strong and super effective...but if he could pull through and land the large Normal type move, surely Staraptor would be done for…

Everything happened so fast.

Staraptor came streaking in at breakneck speed with Wing Attack at the ready. It struck home just as the furiously determined Terrus unleashed a blinding blast of energy representative of his unwavering commitment to his Trainer.

It took several breathless seconds for the chaos to subside enough for the field to be visible. When it was at last clear, the referee made the call;

"Staraptor is unable to continue! Torterra is the winner and the battle goes to Amaya of Twinleaf!"

"YEEESSSS!"

Amaya's father was literally jumping around the box seating section, pumping his fist furiously in the air as he lost his mind over his daughter's success. The whole of Lily Stadium erupted with ecstatic noise – they had just witnessed a classic Lily of the Valley Conference match, one that would live long in the memory, noted among the most thrilling matches in the tournament's proud history.

In the commentary booth, Milo did not trust himself to speak, so Jenks gestured broadly to the screaming fans packed into Lily Stadium and said;

"Just listen to that. Listen to the noise coming from this crowd! I swear we've never seen anything like this! So watch it, drink it in! Amaya takes the win in a battle for the ages! Oh, I can hardly believe what we've just witnessed!"

Down on the field, regardless of the insanity around them, the two combatants met in the middle of the field;

"How?" Amaya frowned as she shook Damion's hand, "How did you do that? You nearly had me."

"Still couldn't close it out," his voice was low, his eyes averted, "I figured I had a shot if I went all out. I mean, you've never cared about me before, so it was a safe bet you wouldn't start now. Doesn't matter, Milo's already won this."

"...We'll see about that."

Amaya whirled on her heel, intending to leave that as a stinging last remark, but Damion called after her;

"Umbreon beats Milotic in the last round! Just watch!"

He yelled this loud enough that the stadium's army of microphones caught and projected his call-out, sending a fresh shockwave of gasps through the crowd. The Hammer stiffened, her eyes narrowed...but she kept silent and just walked off the field.

 _Screw him_ , she told herself sternly, _What does he know?_

Only one thing mattered to her now; their shared dream had at long last become a reality. Milo and Amaya would be squaring off in the Lily of the Valley Conference final. Somehow, it still felt like a dream. The weight of that fact was so stark that her brain struggled even to accept it.

Despite the enormity of the occasion, there were no celebrations for either finalist that evening. Milo and Amaya stuck to their self-imposed isolation policy, each now working furiously to find an answer to the other's team and tactics.

The assembled family members (and Kara, of course) held their own mini-party, despite the absence of the two Super Rookies. At least, it was supposed to be a mini-party. As soon as someone turned the television on, it became a silent gathering as they huddled around, anxiously tuning in to what every expert under the sun thought of the upcoming final.

They were not alone. In fact, it seemed as though the entire Sinnoh region was now holding its collective breath in anticipation of the spectacle to be delivered by these two prodigal young Trainers. Experts from near and far debated the topic hotly on every channel, every news outlet, in print and online.

"Surely, Amaya is too powerful to lose now," said some. She was now battle-tested, proven under pressure, and had momentum from her tough win over Damion. Milo's Pokémon weren't as tough as the VPC graduate's, and they would only be able to scheme and trick their way out of so much.

"Clearly," others argued, "Milo has demonstrated that he is much more confident, more in tune with his team. His experience and maturity will carry him to a strong victory." This, too, had reason. Amaya had barely scraped her way through the tournament, almost losing several times before last-ditch efforts secured the wins she needed. Milo, on the other hand, had shown his fearlessness and confidence time and again. He'd swept his group and handled each knockout opponent without too much struggle.

"This is one final that is truly too close to call," claimed many. This became a popular stance for those who didn't want to risk their reputation by guessing incorrectly, or those who were nearing commercial break and wanted to move the discussion along.

Thanks to the constant news cycle, articles, discussions and predictions flew thick and fast the rest of Friday evening, all through the night, and easily into the Saturday break day.

"Man, I feel like the whole world is going in circles waiting for this battle," said Zoe tiredly at the breakfast table that morning.

"Technically, it is." Marcus couldn't resist, and earned himself a playful whack on the shoulder from his mother.

"Oh lay off, smarty-pants. Don't sass the woman who brought you into this spinning world."

There was a general chuckle around the table at the Leader's antics before Marcus spoke up, more seriously this time;

"I should go check in with them – make sure neither of them is going to work themselves to exhaustion before the big day tomorrow."

Kara shot out of her seat at this, unable to sit quietly on the eve of such an occasion.

"You go check on 'Maya, I'll make sure Milo's okay."

When Marcus got to The Hammer's private training space, he found he wasn't the only one checking in on her. As the Leader walked in, Robert Jenks was collecting some papers and shaking the girl's hand as he made to leave.

"Jenks? What's up?"

"Ah, Marcus!" The two longtime friends exchanged a firm handshake, but the experience media expert couldn't stay, "Just wrapping up some business, you know how it goes. I wanted to catch Amaya before she got too far into her training rhythms. I've got plenty to do, though, so I'll be going! See you later!"

Marcus watched silently as the busy man went on his way. Turning back to Amaya, he ventured a guess;

"You just signed one of those contracts, didn't you? For next season?"

"Sure did."

"...Which one?"

"You'll find out soon."

The Hearthome Leader frowned, but this soon melted into an exasperated grin;

"Never one to lose focus, are you? How goes your preparation for the final? What's the plan?"

He received no answer for a few seconds as the Twinleaf Rookie watched her team with laser-sharp eyes;

"The plan is victory. We'll fight our way, not his. I'm not playing Milo's mind games this time. If he wants this win, he'll have to come and take it from me."

"That's smart," nodded Marcus, "Forcing him to adapt to you instead of the other way around. Nice and simple; I like it."

"Simple? That's a joke, right?"

Amaya gave a dry chuckle before continuing, "You know there's nothing 'simple' about fighting Milo. Honestly, I give myself about a one in eight chance to pull this off. If we're absolutely perfect, and I can keep it together, we should just barely be able to make it."

This time, Marcus' frown was genuine;

"That sounds a bit defeatist, 'Maya. Give yourself some credit – you're The Hammer, after all."

That trademark dead stare fixed itself icily on the Leader as she responded harshly;

"The Hammer, huh? That's a bunch of crap. Someone made that up, and it stuck; it doesn't mean I have superpowers. Milo's the only one I've never beaten, and for good reason. I have to be perfect to win this battle. Mark my words, though – we _will_ win this battle. My team and I will give everything we've got, and if that's not enough then we deserve to lose."

-o-

Elsewhere, Milo was also deep into preparation mode, though it looked quite different from Amaya's preparations.

"Hey Milo!"

A bright-eyed Kara walked into her boyfriend's training space to find him simultaneously supervising three training bouts while poring over seven sets of notes.

"Hey," he answered briefly without looking up. Not easily deterred, Kara walked right up and wrapped her arms around him from behind;

"Talk to me, Milo. What's the plan?"

That question put a glint in the young man's eye, and he eagerly gestured to the longest (and messiest) set of notes;

"Here's the deal. Trying to beat Amaya's whole team is a crazy hard problem, so I figured it'd be best to break it up. We as a team only have to win six rounds. If each of my Pokémon wins just one round, we'll win the battle."

Kara raised an eyebrow;

"So...your battle plan is basic math?"

"Sort of," Milo was only too willing to explain, "It's using that basic math to my advantage. Since each of my team only needs to win one matchup, I can plan out which fight each of them will be best suited to win. That means we can focus on training today for that one matchup. For example; Azura's one job will be taking down Coral. Blaze is responsible for Terrus. Aurora can handle Granite, Drake gets Leon, Jet gets Spirielle, and Ferra can take Glacius."

"I think I get it," nodded the Performer, "But that assumes that you'll always know what Pokémon 'Maya is going to bring in before she does."

"Yup. That's _my_ one job. It won't be easy, but...well, it's 'Maya. I know her, I know how she thinks. As long as I can get out to a good start, I can stay one step ahead, and give my team the matchups they're training to win."

It was a great theory, but Kara knew enough to be wary, "That's a bold plan, Milo. I hope you're prepared for it to go off the rails. You can bet 'Maya won't play perfectly into your hands for the whole battle."

"I know that," Milo's confident smile refused to budge, "We'll have to be absolutely perfect to win this thing – that includes adapting when things get messed up, but...well, if we lose that just means Amaya deserved to win. Either way...I can't wait."

The Performer just shook her head.

"You're both crazy. Anyway," she released him and smiled, turning to leave, "have fun getting ready! Give me a shout if you need anything!"

As both young Trainers prepared for their impending showdown, neither hide nor hair of either of them was seen until dinner time. Amaya ate with her parents, Milo with his own family, plus Kara. Both families made sure they had the television on; there was something they were eager to see.

"Hello," said a smartly dressed reporter on screen, "I'm your Pokémon battling news anchor here on SBBN, Gina Simms. Tonight we bring you a special bit of news regarding Sinnoh's so-called 'Super Rookies'."

"Hey!" Kara called to her boyfriend through a mouthful of food, "Milo, get in here! It's on!"

The young man in question looked up from the umpteenth review of his notes and hurried over to the couch with his family to catch the report.

"I have with me an expert panel, including leading Trainer reporter and media agent Robert Jenks as well as the Sinnoh Champion, Cynthia Shirona."

The camera panned over, showing a few former professional Trainers, along with Jenks and Cynthia. The expert panel shared a round of nods and brief introductions all around before Gina Simms continued with the actual news.

"Now, for those who maybe haven't been following the Conference quite as closely, the term 'Super Rookies' refers to four standout Trainers who have made quite a large mark on the League this year, despite it being their first year as official Trainers. To sum up, they include Nova – the best graduate from Sunyshore in recent memory, Damion Parr – a defensive juggernaut from the Veilstone Pokémon College, Amaya – also known as The Hammer, from Twinleaf Town, and last but not least is Milo, the strategic mastermind from the storied Jubilife Pokémon Trainer Academy. Any initial thoughts from our panel before we get into tonight's fresh news?"

Cynthia spoke up first;

"This is at least the third time I've been called on for comments about these young Trainers, which shows that they've done a lot to deserve the recognition they're getting. It's also worth noting that, excluding the group-stage battles, none of these Super Rookies have lost to anyone except other Super Rookies. Nova was knocked out by Milo, and Damion Parr only just lost to Amaya."

"A very promising sign from them," nodded Gina Simms, eager to break her piece of news.

"Now, the reason we're here this evening is to reveal the future plans for each of these four Trainers. We'll start with Nova of Sunyshore, who will be plying her trade next season...in the Unova League. Thoughts?"

Jenks spoke first this time;

"I think that's a good fit for her. She's always demonstrated a certain willingness to defy convention just for the sake of doing things her own way. Her quirky, unique approach to battling, combined with her obvious talent and potential, will be a great addition to Alder's roster."

In Milo's room, Marcus nodded along somewhat impatiently;

"Yeah, yeah...come on, guys. What about Amaya?"

He was forced to wait still longer as the broadcast continued;

"Next, we have news from Damion Parr. He has apparently decided to sign on with Lance Waturu as a member of the Johto League professional roster."

This announcement actually drew a fair bit of discussion from the panel, but it meant very little to Milo.

"Meh," he shrugged, "As long as it's not Kalos. I've gotten more used to Damion, but I'd still prefer us to be in different regions."

As it happened, Milo's plans were next on the list, and there were knowing nods from around the panel when his future in the Kalos region was officially confirmed.

"That's another move that makes logical sense," commented Cynthia, "Milo's battling has always had a certain glossy elegance about it that is quite reminiscent of that Kalos flourish."

"Last, but not least on this list is The Hammer."

Milo leaned forward in his seat. He knew that his best friend's decision was her own, but...he was scared of what that decision might mean for the two of them.

"Amaya will be the second of Sinnoh's Super Rookies heading to...the Johto Region."

There it was.

Amaya was going to Johto.

Milo sat back, staring blankly at his lap.

 _Johto? She picked...Johto?_

He knew it was selfish of him to feel sad, to feel betrayed. He knew that, but...he couldn't help it. Vaguely, he realized that the room around him was silent. He glanced up.

Marcus had muted the television, and all eyes were on him.

"You...okay, bro?"

"W-we knew this might happen," he muttered unconvincingly, "Johto made the – the most sense for her career. It's just...I'll be…"

He took a long shuddering breath, cursing his own inability to hold his emotions in check;

"I'll b-be fine…"

"Son," began Alexander softly, "It's only natural to-"

"I said I'm fine."

He stood abruptly, grabbed his belt, and shoved the door open.

"I'm going to get more training in before the battle."

With that, he was gone. Kara shot out of her seat, but Marcus cut her off;

"I'll go after him."

The Floaroma girl bit her lip, but realized that the Leader was probably better suited for the tough talk that Milo clearly needed.

As it happened, this worked out perfectly. Not two minutes after Marcus hurried after his younger brother, Kara received a text from The Hammer herself.

 _Yo_ , it read, _How'd he take the news? -A_

 _Pretty much like you'd expect_ , was Kara's honest answer.

A slight pause, and then;

 _That bad, huh?_

 _He walked out. Marcus is going after him. How are you holding up?_

Another pause, long enough to let Kara know the question wasn't an easy one for her friend to answer. Finally;

 _You know me. I'm fine. As always._

The Performer rolled her eyes and texted back immediately.

 _Meet me in front of the hotel. We're taking a walk._

 _...Thanks._

-o-

"Milo."

"I'm busy training."

"Milo!"

"Leave me alone!"

"No! Sit down and talk to me instead of sulking like a ten-year-old."

Milo stiffened at Marcus' rebuke, but had no comeback. One by one, his team stopped banging away at each other and turned to see what was going on between the two brothers.

"What's to talk about? She made a choice, I made a choice. It's done."

"You're an open book, little bro. You're pissed because she didn't choose Kalos. That's a selfish reason to be mad and you know it, so you're also pissed at yourself for not being okay with her choice. So far so good?"

"Why are you here, Marcus?"

The Leader sighed. This was classic Milo, acting prickly to shut down conversation on an unwelcome topic.

"Is it so wrong to make sure my brother's head is on straight for his Conference final?"

The Dark type master was leaning against the door frame with a light frown as Milo held his head in his hands.

"Milo, listen to me-"

"I already know, Marcus, so don't bother. She made the right choice, I need to get over it, I need to figure myself out before the final or I'll lose. Did I miss anything?"

"...Why are you mad? Tell me that."

Milo opened his mouth for another snappy retort, but...he couldn't find an answer.

 _Why am I mad? I know all those things, I just said them, but…_

"Now will you listen, bro?"

Marcus stepped forward and put a hand on his brother's shoulder;

"This is part of being a Trainer. It's not all battles and strategies and knowing about Pokémon. You have to be tough _off_ the field as well. Like you said, Amaya made the right choice. That hurts you, as her friend, and you don't have to deny that."

He stepped back now, and his voice shifted from soft to serious;

"I'll tell you this, though; if I see anything but a smile on your face tomorrow, I will be _very_ disappointed."

This brought the younger sibling's head snapping up, with a flash in his eyes at Marcus' challenge. The Leader continued;

"I know you're bigger than this. Have your moment now, feel sad and mad and bad, whatever you want, but know that this is a training moment for you – a huge one. Sometime before you step onto that field, I expect you to buck up, accept this for what it is, and give this final every last inch of effort and quality that you can muster. Amaya deserves nothing less from you. Understand me?"

Milo's whole body was shaking with emotion now, but he held his head high and stared determinedly back at his older brother;

"I...I understand. Thanks, Marcus."

-o-

 _Glad I thought to bring a jacket_ , thought Kara as she hurried down to meet Amaya, _It's actually kind of chilly out here at night._

The Hammer wasn't difficult to find. Her baggy hoodie and sweatpants stood out just as much as they always did, and Kara fell into step silently beside her. They started off down the lamp-lit streets of Lily City.

For the first few blocks, neither one spoke. Then Kara ventured;

"You...know you don't have to feel bad or anything, right?"

"...I know."

"I mean, Johto makes the most sense for you, just like Kalos makes the most sense for us. We can still talk and everything, not that much really has to change. Right?"

"...Yeah. Honestly – I'm just scared."

"Scared?" Kara could hardly believe it. Amaya was admitting to feeling afraid?

"Scared," nodded the Twinleaf girl. She bit her lip and hesitated before continuing;

"I...I know I'm kind of a rock when it comes to feelings and all that crap, but – well, you guys are...I mean you two have done so...damn it, you know what I'm trying to say!"

Kara whirled around and threw her arms around her friend;

"I do, 'Maya. The feeling is mutual. It's going to be tough, and we'll miss the hell out of you, but don't you dare ruin it by going easy on Milo tomorrow, okay? If this is going to be some kind of sappy farewell, then you better make it the best battle you two have ever had! Got it?"

Both girls were now sobbing into one another's shoulders, and Amaya whispered back;

"I promise."

 **Battle Day Seven**

Finally. The long-awaited day had come at last. All weekend had been building up to this – heck, the whole _Conference_ seemed to have been one long, inevitable buildup to this moment. Those with a dramatic flair would even suggest that the entire battling season had been one gloriously chaotic preparation for this battle.

The Lily of the Valley Conference final had arrived.

Cynthia, seated in the commentary booth for this momentous occasion, listened eagerly to the stadium announcer;

"Our first finalist today is a fresh graduate of the renowned Jubilife Pokémon Trainer Academy! His brains, his guts, and his heart have been tested and proven time and again! He's dispatched each and every opponent this Conference has thrown against him, and he is one match away from sealing the ultimate victory! Give it up for...MILO!"

The cheer from the sold-out crowd in Lily Stadium was deafening. The young man had made quite a name for himself. Now he emerged, a big smile on his face as he waved to the tens of thousands of people gathered to watch.

He'd picked out his favorite jacket for the occasion, white on top and fading to black at the bottom. His black cargo pants cut off at the shins, above his black sneakers. His short, dark hair shifted smoothly in the light breeze as he set his face across the field, his confident grin awaiting the arrival of his opponent.

"His challenger for this epic final is a product of the remarkable Twinleaf Trainer School! She has more than earned her reputation as The Hammer, battering her way through one foe after another with staggering amounts of sheer power! She's here, she's hungry, and she can't wait to take her shot at glory! Put your hands together for...AMAYA!"

The noise now threatened to shake the very ground as The Hammer emerged. The trademark black headphones were firmly in place. There were no waves, no smiles. She refused to acknowledge the multitudes screaming for her;

"HAM-MER! HAM-MER!"

Her ragged, dull red hoodie only added to her edgy, dangerous look. Her frayed, gray sweatpants scuffed the ground with each step she took. Her long, straight black hair reached down past her chest, making her already small frame seem that much more diminutive. Still, despite her slim figure, what stood out above all else...were those eyes. The intensity of her sharp, electric blue eyes seemed to pierce through people effortlessly. They were locked firmly on one person now.

Milo and Amaya, Conference rivals, met in the middle of the battlefield for the customary handshake. The confident grin held firm against the intense blue eyes.

"Whatever happens," said Milo, "We kept our promise."

"Damn straight," agreed Amaya, "The Conference final. Let's make it a good one."

With that, they retreated to their places for the fight.

The stadium held its breath as the referee raised the green flag…

"Battle...BEGIN!"

 _Alright_ , thought Milo as he readied his first team member, _Time to see if I guessed right. Come on, show me Granite…_

"Aurora, let's get started!"

"Leon, time to go!"

Right off the bat, Milo's pulse quickened as his incredible mind was forced to reconsider and adapt his plan. Aurora had put all her training effort into defeating Granite; she was totally unprepared for Leon.

"Alright, girl," Milo attempted to recover, "let's adjust. Get ready for Hail!"

 _Let him come to you,_ he cautioned his Ice type mentally, _We'll have to force our opening._

Accordingly, the hyper-focused Glaceon readied her Hail move...and paused, one eye on Amaya's Luxray. For the tiniest moment, nothing happened – and it threw Milo for a loop. Seeing that she was being provided the opening she sought, Aurora let loose with Hail, and the familiar icy conditions kicked in.

Still, Amaya said nothing. Leon stood by, watching with a smug grin.

"Alright," said Milo, trying to press the advantage Amaya seemed strangely ready to give him, "Get moving, girl! Find a window for Ice Beam!"

"Dodge, Thunderbolt."

Milo was left flabbergasted as Leon effortlessly sidestepped the Ice Beam and fired a Thunderbolt, landing a direct hit to the Fresh Snow Pokémon. As Aurora was sent spinning to the ground, her body still crackling from the electricity, Leon's eyes flashed.

 _That's it!_ Milo realized, _His eyes!_

"Aurora," he called frantically, "Drop the Hail!"

Up in the commentary booth, Cynthia narrowed her eyes and explained;

"What a development. It seems Milo has been truly out-predicted for the first time all Conference. Luxray have impossibly perfect vision, so Glaceon's Hail cover was rendered useless. Milo was forced to call it off, because the only one whose vision was impaired was his own."

 _Yes!_ Amaya betrayed nothing outwardly, but she was beside herself on the inside.

 _I can't believe that actually worked! I had one shot to counter his Hail crap, and we did it! Let's freaking go!_

"Chase her down, Leon! No escape! Give her a Thunder Fang, then Toxic!"

"Come on, Aurora! Get set, then Protect and Return!"

Even without her camouflage, Aurora could still frustrate and unnerve opponents with her maneuverability. Instincts from her days as an Eevee kicked in, and this neat little turnaround combo was smooth and seamless.

Eager to score the first victory of this landmark final, Leon's reckless Thunder Fang struck only the protective shield produced by the elusive Glaceon. Before Amaya's Electric type could process his miss, a massive impact from Aurora's Return sent him tumbling painfully head over heels.

"Damn," Amaya realized she'd rushed her opening and quickly devised something more sophisticated, "Leon, up quickly, and use Shock Wave!"

"Counter it with Water Pulse, Aurora!"

"Perfect, now follow in, Leon! Thunder Fang! Toxic!"

This time, the Luxray would not be denied. He charged heedlessly straight through the Water Pulse and Milo's Glaceon could only brace herself for the Electric hit that left her on the ground, vulnerable to the Toxic that instantly seeped unforgivingly through her body.

Still, she forced herself upright, refusing to accept defeat until it was forced upon her.

 _I'm sorry, girl,_ Milo's voice was gentle but serious, _I miscalculated. Still, we can just about keep this even. We'll go for a blitz here, so our next teammate can finish him quickly._

 _I'm in, Milo._

"Alright," he called aloud, "No more playing around! Icy Wind!"

"Back off, Leon! Go around!"

Amaya was alert to the danger – she was no stranger to Milo's kamikaze tendencies when a round wasn't going his way.

"He's on the move, show me Ice Beam!"

"Brilliant!" Cynthia was moved by the quick-fire play by the young man, "Milo forced that Luxray to dodge, so his movements would be more predictable! Icy Wind was a setup to make the Ice Beam easier to aim!"

It worked like a charm, and Ice Beam scored a direct hit. However, this did nothing to mitigate the damage from Toxic – Aurora could feel her energy draining faster and faster.

 _I've got...time for...one more play…_

Milo understood perfectly, and chose a rather bold approach;

"Leon," called his Twinleaf rival, "Show them we're still in this! Thunderbolt!"

"Take it, Aurora! Mirror Coat!"

She cried out as the Thunderbolt left her all but unconscious, but the Fresh Snow Pokémon held firm just long enough to reflect the power of Leon's move back at him with a brilliant blast.

When the action at last came to a halt, the referee made the call;

"Glaceon is unable to continue! Luxray wins! Milo, call your second Pokémon!"

 _Don't freak out_ , Milo commanded himself sternly, _I made a mistake, and I need to compensate. Just focus and get back to the plan._

Since his initial one-to-one matchup scheme had been thwarted, he now called on the Pokémon who was _meant_ to defeat the now heavily damaged Luxray.

"Drake, we need you, pal!"

 _Hell yeah!_ The Garchomp was raring to go, as usual, _Here's the fight I've been waiting for!_

Across the field, Amaya's eyes narrowed. Since the Gleam Eyes Pokémon was her first of the battle, she could not switch him, however much she wanted to. He was far too exhausted to put up any kind of fight against a fresh and eager Drake...

With the crowd's roaring still reverberating through the stadium from Amaya's first round victory, Milo shouted aloud;

"Earthquake! Let it rip, Drake!"

With a scream born of draconic rage, the Mach Pokémon launched the most devastating Earthquake he could recall ever producing. Cheers of approval turned to shocked gasps in an instant, as the referee was called into action again;

"Uh, L-Luxray is down! Amaya, call your second Pokémon!"

"Incredible!" Marcus was out of his seat, applauding his brother's one-hit (sort of) knockout, "All that momentum she built by winning that first one, and he just wrecked Leon with a single Earthquake! That was _nuts_ , bro!"

 _Damn. Too easy_ , commented the fearsome Dragon to his Trainer, _I guess Aurora did a real number on him, huh? Thought he'd take more than one hit, at least..._

 _She did her best. Stay in it, pal – we may need you again. We'll have to account for Granite somehow._

 _Leave it to me._

"Milo refuses to be held down for long," said Cynthia's co-commentator, "Just like that he's evened things up, and they each have five Pokémon left! Let's see what Amaya can bring to the table against Milo's brute of a Garchomp!"

With a fierce glint in his eye, Milo felt that spark flaring to life inside him, that swagger that made him a truly terrifying opponent.

He caught another break, as Amaya made a questionable choice in her attempt to keep him off his rhythm;

"Try one-hitting this! Granite, get in there!"

 _Drake_ , Milo conveyed his thoughts quickly as the huge Iron Snake appeared, _You have to win this round. Cover for Aurora._

 _Count on it._

"Another big Earthquake!"

"Tank and Ice Fang."

Milo had been hoping to get his move in for free against the much slower Steel type, but as Drake finished his big Ground move, Amaya's Iron Snake got down low to deliver a brutally effective Ice Fang to Milo's Dragon.

"Well," Marcus frowned, "I'm not sure why 'Maya would put Granite in against a fast Ground type, but I guess he's got some good counter moves. I don't think even Milo was counting on _this_ much aggression from Amaya."

Nevertheless, Granite had only been able to get his move in by taking a very big hit from Drake's Earthquake. The Hammer's aggression had consequences.

 _Damn_ , Drake cursed his bad luck as he hissed in pain from the Ice Fang, _He got a cheap shot in. Let's not do that again…_

 _Agreed. Lesson learned; speed is our best friend. Don't stop moving for more than a couple seconds, no matter what I call._

Out loud, Milo switched tactics in a heartbeat;

"Use that speed, pal! Around, Flamethrower! Keep your distance!"

Wary of the Steelix's Iron Tail move, Drake launched his Fire move from far enough away that the big Steel type would have to come out to catch him.

Granite just roared and didn't bother moving as the Flamethrower hit him. Amaya's brows creased as another big, nastily effective move hit her second battler;

"He can't dodge Earthquake."

The Twinleaf girl was correct, but Milo had another surprise in store. The much nimbler Blaze could have escaped the dangers of Earthquake, but Drake stood firm against the onslaught as Milo called;

"Amaya tactics! Tank and use Flamethrower!"

The mighty Garchomp roared in defiance as Earthquake struck him, before launching his second Flamethrower. This was quickly turning into a punch-out.

 _I got this_ , the Mach Pokémon told himself, _I won my match, and with this win I'll have covered for Aurora. If I just push through this, I trust the team to finish it off._

Milo hadn't called a follow-up move, but by Drake's own estimation, Granite couldn't have much more left in the tank. The Dragon took matters into his own hands, and in a flash he disappeared.

Still reeling from the second Flamethrower and the effort of using Earthquake, Granite couldn't piece together exactly where his slippery opponent had gone.

"That's Dig!" Amaya had worked it out, "Slam on the ground!"

"NOW, Drake!"

The massive speed gap between the two made the final difference as Drake came smashing in from below his adversary. Granite crashed to the ground with an almighty thud, and could not cling to consciousness any longer.

The crowd was screaming deliriously; the energy and tension of this battle was absolutely off the charts.

"This is fantastic," cooed Cynthia from the commentary booth, "Milo's earned his first lead of the battle by countering Amaya's versatility with some brilliant improvisation! I could watch this battle all day!"

"Hmph," Amaya was not impressed, "Enough playing around. Coral, take him down."

 _You good to stay?_ Milo checked with his Garchomp, _You did your job – want to see what you can do to Coral?_

 _Let's freaking go_ , Drake answered immediately.

"Alright, Dragon Rush!"

"Dragon Tail, Coral. Smack him away."

"Dig, Drake! Time it!"

No other Pokémon on Milo's team could hold their nerve as well as the Mach Pokémon. Drake held his Dig attack until Coral's notorious Dragon Tail was swinging at full speed towards him. At the last possible second he dove down into the ground, and before Amaya's ace Milotic could react he struck her vulnerable underside, flinging her awkwardly sideways.

"He's too close. Hydro Pump."

"Wow!" Cynthia's co-commentator was almost salivating at the intensity of the battle below, "Shrugging off that huge hit like she barely felt it, Amaya's Milotic finishes off Garchomp in one huge move! We're tied up once again, at four Pokémon apiece!"

The Twinleaf Rookie glanced intently at her rival as he processed the loss.

 _Come on, Milo_ , she willed silently, _I just decimated your Garchomp, I know you're cracking under there. Show it. Come on._

Still, if he was perturbed in any way, the JPTA graduate showed nothing. He merely nodded and recalled his fallen Dragon with a tiny grin, as if this were just…

 _...As if this was part of his plan. Damn, I should've known! He's got a plan for the whole battle! He's got counters laid out for every move I make! Shit!_

Feeling a sudden need to be unpredictable, Amaya extended her arm, Pokéball in hand;

"Coral, return. Let's keep you fresh."

Across the field, that ghost of a grin refused to vanish from Milo's face.

"Jet," he called, "Keep us on track!"

Amaya paused. Her instincts told her Terrus was the right choice here. His stamina and his plethora of Grass moves were perfect for fighting Jet.

 _But if he planned this far out_ , she reasoned quickly, _He probably expects me to call Terrus. Time to throw of his scheme._

"Spirielle," Amaya finally made her choice, "Take this one."

As the tens of thousands sat on the edge of their seats, ready for another high stakes round of this slugfest of a battle, Marcus held his head in his hands, explaining with no small amount of incredulity;

"Now _that_ is a next-level read. Milo's had Jet prepping for days to win this exact matchup! Amaya tried to break his plan by avoiding Terrus, but she played right into his hands again! He called it perfectly!"

Still convinced that she had the upper hand, Amaya took action;

"Energy Ball, Spirielle!"

Milo just nodded, and his Floatzel took action. Coolly, Jet sidestepped the dangerous Grass move, and launched an Aqua Jet before Spirielle's attack even reached the spot he'd just vacated. Amaya's Gengar couldn't escape the lightning fast counter, and screeched as she took the first hit of the round.

"Back him off. Shadow Punch."

"Again, Jet."

The Shadow Pokémon lashed out with a somewhat blind Shadow Punch, but to no avail. Spirielle was slammed a second time as Jet read her perfectly and positioned himself for an Ice Beam that left the Ghost reeling.

Furious, panicked, and a bit desperate, Spirielle did something not even Milo had counted on. Still flying backwards from the impact of Ice Beam, she twisted her ethereal self in midair and fired an unbidden Confuse Ray that miraculously found its target.

 _No!_ Milo had based all of Jet's training around avoiding the status game, knowing Spirielle would never go down if she could incapacitate the Water type.

 _Okay, time for Plan B. Or C. Or whatever we're on now._

"Jet," he called to his hopelessly confused Floatzel, "Don't attack! Just close your eyes and get moving!"

 _Just close my...what?_ The Sea Weasel couldn't make out Milo's exact words, but he latched onto "don't attack" and began running around at random.

"You've got him now," it was Amaya's turn to smirk, "Track him and Lick, before it wears off."

It proved slightly more difficult than expected to chase down the speedy Water type, but Amaya's Gengar was no slouch herself, and by the time he recovered from the effects of Confuse Ray, Jet could feel the telltale spasms in his muscles as they seized up and refused his demands. He had been paralyzed.

 _Crap! Milo, plan?_

With Spirielle bearing down to take full advantage of Jet's helplessness, Milo responded the only way he could think of;

"Throw everything you've got! Now!"

 _Azura will be next_ , added the Trainer mentally, _make her job easy._

 _Sure thing_ , Jet replied grimly, _Sorry, Milo._

With one last heroic effort, the brave Floatzel staved off the effects of paralysis long enough to smash a Blizzard into the onrushing Ghost type.

With a hiss, Spirielle recovered almost instantly and fired off a quick series of Energy Ball attacks. Jet, powerless to dodge, or even move, could only roar defiantly as he disappeared in a cloud of dust and damage.

When the field cleared, the official had to yell into his microphone to be heard over the chants of 'HAM-MER, HAM-MER' ringing around Lily Stadium.

"Floatzel is unable to continue, Gengar wins! Milo, call your next Pokémon!"

"Azura," the young man said without hesitation, "Even the score."

Suddenly, all Amaya's momentum from defeating Jet vanished. A tired and damaged Spirielle found herself confronted with the ever-dangerous Azura, blue stripes glowing brightly at the prospect of a thoroughly winnable battle.

 _Hmph_ , she spoke smugly into her Trainer's mind, _A nice warmup round couldn't hurt, I guess._

 _Make it quick_ , he answered, _We need you to stay fresh._

 _Leave this to me._

Not waiting for a move call from Milo, the Umbreon fired a quick Shadow Ball before leaping to one side.

"Left, and use Focus Blast!"

Amaya had seen this countless times before. She knew as well as anyone that Shadow Ball was just a cover for the next move.

Milo grinned, his arms crossed over his chest. He said nothing, trusting his ace Pokémon to deal with her Ghost type opponent efficiently and mercilessly.

 _Make it a double fake_ , he advised silently, _Just to be sure._

Accordingly, another Shadow Ball collided with the Focus Blast, and Azura changed directions on a dime, sprinting off until she heard Amaya yell eagerly;

"There! Energy Ball machine gun, go!"

A mass intake of breath rang around the onlookers as the Grass attacks began pouring in thick and fast. There came a cry of pain, but...not from Azura. Despite all her offensive pressure, Spirielle had taken the first hit, as Azura timed her Pursuit attack to perfection, giving the half-Poison type no chance to escape.

 _Good_ , nodded Milo, _Finish it fast or she'll recover._

 _Quit nagging._

The Jubilife Rookie actually chuckled as Azura employed her ruthless finishing tactics to keep Amaya's Gengar off-balance, confused, and on the back foot. The shiny Dark type called her own moves rather wistfully;

 _Dark Pulse, another Pursuit, Shadow Ball, and...Feint Attack to block the desperate counterattack. Easy._

She made it look easy, too, as the crowd screamed in disbelief. The Gengar that looked so strong in the last round had just gotten completely dismantled by an almost casual display from Milo's insane Umbreon!

 _Show-off_ , he reprimanded the glowing Dark type, _Keep your head in the game, you've got more to do later._

Seeing her commentary partner speechless, Cynthia chimed in with her thoughts;

"Amaya is getting the wins she needs, but Milo's obvious forethought and planning is keeping her from actually pulling ahead here. Each time she gets a lead, he's perfectly positioned to put in a strong battler with type advantage against a Pokémon from Amaya that's strategically outmatched and carrying lots of previous damage."

Marcus, in the VIP box, had a similar thought;

"That win from Azura was just like Drake's one-hit win over Leon. Still, no matter how good he is at catching back up, Milo's going to have to do more to actually win. He has to actually take the lead at some point, and he's running out of chances to do it."

Indeed, tied once again at three Pokémon apiece, half the battle was now gone. Amaya could continue trading knockouts and win, but Milo essentially had two more chances at most to reverse the momentum of the fight and come out on top.

Looking to make another perfect read, he recalled Azura, and readied his next Pokémon.

 _Wait_ , something clicked in Amaya's brain, _If he recalled Azura, he's not allowed to put her straight back in. Besides her, he's only got Blaze and Ferra left...this is perfect!_

"Ha," she called across the field, "You thought you had me, Milo! Coral, get back in there!"

Milo blinked, forcing himself not to show anything. Inwardly he knew Amaya was right;

 _Crap! What was I thinking? I made that so easy for her, and now I'm trapped! I can't expect Blaze to do anything to Coral...I've only got one choice, and she knows it. Oh well, here goes nothing…_

"Ferra," his voice was noticeably subdued, "Let's do this."

The loyal Lucario deduced the danger in a heartbeat, and read the situation perfectly;

 _Plan went wrong? Don't worry, Papa, I'll do what I can._

 _Thanks, Ferra. We're going blitz-style, be ready to move._

"Alright!" Milo set his face and set to his work, setting his panic aside as he made the most of what he had, "Strike and shift! Lateral axis!"

'Lateral axis' was just Milo's fancy term for horizontal, and Ferra set to it with gusto. She fired off an Aura Sphere and dashed immediately off to her right, as Amaya reacted;

"Water Pulse."

"Close in!"

Amaya's eyes narrowed;

 _A classic Milo fake. Aura Sphere was just drawing us out. Has he forgotten how I deal with morons who try to close in on Coral?_

"Hmph. Dragon Tail."

"Detect! Cross Chop!"

A gasp shot through the crowd – Milo had not only faked his opponent out, but he'd done it _twice_ in the same play! A play of that complexity, pulled off at the drop of a hat by a Rookie in a high stakes Conference final?

"Unbelievable!" Cynthia's co-commentator was almost drooling as Coral cried out in surprise at the hit, "MIlo's ingenuity is just staggering!"

On the field, Amaya had stumbled on an idea of her own;

"Bulldoze. From there."

"Ferra, MOVE!"

Milo knew this moment was his biggest vulnerability – the moment after he landed a big hit. It didn't take much of an opening for Amaya to turn it to her advantage. Praying that he'd acted fast enough, the Jubilife Rookie all but held his breath as Ferra cut a mad dash away from the twisting Milotic.

"Got you. Hydro Pump."

Rearing her elegant head, Coral fired a savage blast of water that smashed into the back of the retreating Ferra, try as she might to escape.

As the Tender Pokémon made to close in, Amaya just smirked,

"You know how this works, Coral. It's just Ferra – take her down."

The arrogance of his friend's statement rankled Milo, but...actions spoke louder than words, and right now the actions favored The Hammer. Ferra jumped frantically to one side, trying to regain a foothold in the match, but Coral coolly met her with a Scald that left a nasty burn and put the Lucario back in the dirt.

 _Try a counter_ , Milo urged desperately.

Without bothering to stand back up, Ferra flung an Aura Sphere blindly in the direction of her Water type opponent, but Coral would have none of it. As Amaya had so bluntly pointed out, the Milotic had gone through this exercise hundreds of times over the past year in training – she knew how to beat the Aura Pokémon.

Coral's Water Pulse blasted straight through the Aura Sphere and further bludgeoned Milo's hapless 'daughter'. Gritting her teeth, Ferra came up with a plan of her own;

 _Papa_ , she informed her Trainer, _I'm going in hard. The more I can do, the better chance Azura will have to take her down._

"Ferra!" He tried to think of an alternative, he hated asking his team for these kinds of kamikaze charges, but… "Ferra, thank you."

She knew as well as he did that there was no other way to play this out.

" **RRAAAHHH!** "

A collective gasp rose from the crowd as Ferra rose to her feet, barely sidestepping another Scald attack from Coral. Suddenly the Aura Spheres came flying in thick and fast as the Aura Pokémon threw everything she had into an all-out offensive to pile up whatever damage she could on Amaya's ace.

Several of the Fighting type attacks struck home, and Amaya could see her advantage slipping away;

"Respond, Coral! Mirror Coat, then pummel her until it's over!"

Taking no prisoners, Coral gave a cry and released a massive blast of energy upon the vulnerable Lucario. This did plenty of damage – but more importantly, it left her open long enough for The Hammer to prove the validity of her nickname.

Escape was out of the question for Ferra. Hydro Pump, Scald, Aqua Tail, another Hydro Pump...at last Coral stopped long enough to allow Milo's fourth fighter to crumple to the ground. Amaya smirked as the crowd predictably launched into another round of cheers in her honor. Coral straightened up, tired but satisfied with her latest victory, and allowed herself to be recalled.

 _Well_ , thought Milo, _Here it is. I've got Blaze and Azura against the last half of Amaya's team. She recalled Coral...so her only options are Terrus and Glacius...she'll expect me to bring Blaze. I guarantee she's got a plan for him, too._

"Alright, Azura! You're back in! Tie it up again, girl!"

"Glacius. Let's see that speed."

Amaya gave the tiniest hint of a frown. She had indeed been waiting for Blaze, waiting to pull out Terrus, with his big Ground moves and massive stamina. Azura vs Glacius wasn't a great matchup for her, but she was left with little choice.

 _Damn_ , she cursed as Glacius shot away like a bullet, trying to confuse Milo's ace Umbreon, _No matter how much I control the individual rounds, he's dominated the mental game every step of the way. He even knows my adjustments in advance._

This round was a perfect example. Despite her lead, she was locked into Glacius now, against the best Milo had to offer. Glacius was good, but realistically...only Coral could match Azura one-to-one. Milo's response, the Twinleaf Rookie had to admit, was inch perfect.

 _Never mind_ , The Hammer blinked hard, forcing herself back into the battle at hand, _Let's do what we can._

"Glacius, that's great," she called, "Now hit and run! Use Icy Wind!"

"Block it, track it, then move in. Set the timer."

Seeing Milo and Azura interact in battle was a privilege to behold. Their chemistry in these kinds of do-or-die situations was almost frightening.

Milo felt focus running like ice through his veins, keeping him laser sharp with not one ounce of panic. He was in his element.

Like clockwork, Azura used Protect just as the 'surprise attack' Icy Wind approached from behind her. The instant she was clear of the Ice attack, she launched into a Pursuit, using the direction of the attack to deduce Glacius' position. The shiny Umbreon's Dark move sent Amaya's Weavile crashing forward, off-balance and helpless to dodge as Azura's Toxic spread poison through her body.

"Unreal," Cynthia murmured, more to herself than the commentary microphone, "That was brutal. I've got chills."

Suddenly, a strange but hypothetically even match became almost pitiful. Azura looked imperious as she employed simple dodging tactics to thwart the now desperate Glacius' every move with ease. Even Amaya herself began to lose her cool at the masterful display from the only rival she'd never truly bested.

"Gah...Put some kind of damage on her, Glacius! Do whatever it takes! Blizzard!"

"Preempt it, Azura. Dark Pulse."

Dark Pulse was far more direct than the bulky, cumbersome Blizzard, and the Sharp Claw Pokémon grimaced as yet another hit compounded the damage stacking up against her.

"Stay with me, Glacius! Flash in, Brick Break!"

For one critical second, Milo said nothing.

 _Hold, Azura. Just hold._

Poisoned, furious, and pained, Glacius came sprinting forward, intent on hitting the unflappable Azura with _something_.

At the last, the _last_ possible second, Milo made his move.

"Now! Feint, then double! Another Dark Pulse!"

The Moonlight Pokémon's Feint Attack was perfect, but Glacius' instincts told her the next attack would come from behind.

She whirled on her heels, unbidden by Amaya, and spat an Icy Wind into the space behind her.

"NO! Glacius!"

Amaya had been _purposely_ silent. Milo's words – 'then double' – had clued her in to his plan. The only one on the field who fell for the trick was Glacius herself as Azura's Feint Attack was followed immediately by her signature Pursuit, carrying her safely away from the well-intentioned Icy Wind. One final Dark Pulse ended the round without question.

 _Damn it!_ Amaya clenched her teeth as she recalled the defeated Weavile, _If you'd just continued with that Brick Break, it would have worked. Now we're back where we started. It's two on two. Blaze and Azura versus Coral and Terrus._

Struggling to clear her mind, Amaya reverted to her tried-and-true fallback strategy; save Coral for last.

"Bad move," Marcus said as the Twinleaf girl released her trusty Torterra, "Milo had already recalled Azura, so she could've trapped him by putting in Coral against Blaze. Instead, she gave him exactly what he wanted. Again."

Cynthia, in the commentary box, went a step further as Milo indeed called upon his eager Infernape;

"Incredibly, this battle is now Milo's to lose," the Champion noted, "He's put on an absolute exhibition in battling from behind here – his composure has kept him on level terms despite Amaya's insane raw power, and now he looks set to take the lead at exactly the right moment."

Rivals from the very beginning, Terrus and Blaze now glared across at each other on the battlefield of the hallowed Lily Stadium. There was a single, curt nod between the two starters, and then the battle kicked back into gear with more blistering pace than ever.

"Earthquake!"

"Jump, Blaze!"

"Now Giga Drain!"

"Heat Wave!"

Not one person was left sitting down, as the crowd's collective jaws dropped. Such power, such technique, such intensity…

"This is it!" Cynthia summed up the feeling in a heartbeat, "This is what Pokémon battles are really about!

After using Earthquake to force Blaze into his predictable jumping tactics, Amaya's Torterra struck out with the energy-sapping Giga Drain, only for his move to be washed away by the wild rage of the Flame Pokémon's Heat Wave attack.

Not stopping for an instant, Terrus struck back, using Energy Ball like a cannon. He struck the still-airborne Blaze one, twice, thrice before Milo provided an escape.

"Mach Punch!"

"Grass Knot!"

"Double Team, Low Kick, Flamethrower!"

"Frenzy Plant!"

This time, the two adversaries traded blow for blow, as their lightning fast moves played out like a high-speed game of chess.

Blaze's Mach Punch was intended only to draw an attack out of the Continent Pokémon, and Double Team was the perfect getaway move, giving time for Low Kick, which in turn opened a window of opportunity for the devastating Flamethrower.

Still, the indomitable Terrus was back on his feet much faster than his size would suggest, and Frenzy Plant just managed to catch Blaze off guard.

"Holy crap!" Marcus' hands were on his head in disbelief, "Is this a fireworks show or a battle? This is insane!"

 _Close in, do it now_ , Milo urged his Fire type, giving him the shorthand version of the plan in a split second, _We're baiting a Ground move to go top, then finish it before he shakes you._

 _Done_ , answered the Infernape, using a particularly indirect Quick Attack to circle around to one side of his longtime rival.

"He's on the run, Terrus, something's up! Grass Knot!"

"Up and Blaze Kick!"

"Energy Ball!"

A stalemate. Energy Ball and Blaze Kick proved equal and opposite, and Blaze took off again, hoping to draw out the key to their victory.

 _Come on, not that one, 'Maya_ , Milo desperately willed his friend to make the play he needed, _Come on, you know how to make Blaze quit running...Just call it…_

"Grr...Make him respect us, Terrus! Earth Power!"

"DO IT!"

Like lightning, Blaze skidded to a halt, gathered himself, and gave an almighty leap just as the ground beneath him began heaving and churning. Amaya's Torterra tried to block his trajectory with more Energy Ball attacks, but a mid-air Double Team got the Flame Pokémon safely onto his Grass-type opponent's vulnerable back.

Knowing he had precious little time, Blaze gave a roar of concerted effort and pounded down on Terrus for all he was worth.

"FRENZY PLANT! RETURN! GET HIM OFF!"

Amaya shrieked, but to no avail. Blaze connected three rapid Fire Punches and unleashed a second mighty Heat Wave to finish off the round.

Almost inaudible over the tens of thousands of screaming voices, the referee waved his flag;

"Torterra is unable to battle; Infernape is the winner! Amaya, call your final Pokémon!"

"CRUSH HIM, CORAL!"

Amaya had finally snapped, as she watched the lead she had painstakingly fought to maintain slip away at the last crucial moment. Now, with two Pokémon left to her one, Milo had his nose in front as the pair of Rookies stared down the barrel at the finish line.

Not waiting around for a particular move, Coral came out swinging from the start. A Hydro Pump smashed into the flat-footed Blaze, who quickly signaled his intentions to Milo;

 _CRAP! Okay, I did my job, I got through Terrus. I'll do what I can here and leave the big finale for Azura!_

With a defiant roar, the tired and damaged Fire type shrugged off the staggering Water hit and came sprinting at the equally furious Milotic.

"Dragon Tail, Coral!"

Milo's heart was in his mouth, but he said nothing as Blaze let his instincts take over. Not entirely conscious of his actions, the wily Infernape mitigated the damage from Dragon Tail by twisting himself acrobatically to meet the attack with a flying Blaze Kick. It wasn't all that effective, but it kept him on a collision course with Amaya's ace Pokémon.

"NAAAAAAPE!"

He flung himself forward with a Close Combat attack, pummeling any inch of Coral he could reach for as long as he could.

Still, the famous Milotic would not be so easily brought down. Despite the huge amounts of damage she'd taken thus far in the battle overall, she swatted Milo's starter away like a rag doll with a fearsome Aqua Tail that was followed immediately by a Dragon Pulse, which settled the battle.

"WOW!"

The man beside Cynthia was now all but screaming over the live broadcast;

"Milo's Infernape is out cold! It's down to this – Milotic versus Umbreon, one final round! Winner takes all, right here right now!"

For Milo, everything went silent – the world itself seemed to slow to a crawl as he recalled Blaze. The nerves, the pressure, the tension...it all vanished in that one instant.

Azura versus Coral. It was always going to come down to this.

In that one split second, the memories he'd made over the past year came flashing through his brain. Memories of the strange girl who'd forcefully introduced herself on the practice fields of the Twinleaf Trainer School. The friend who'd stood by him when he challenged the Rocket poachers in Oreburgh Gate. The rival who'd fought with him in their first ever tournament in Hearthome. The companion who'd saved his life when the Primal ambushed them outside Pastoria.

Amaya.

She'd been with him through thick and thin, every step of the way. Now, as their Rookie career came to its dramatic close, they were here on the biggest stage of them all for one last bout between Coral, the amazing Milotic, and Azura, the blue Umbreon.

"Azura, go."

Kara was already in tears as the final round got set to start.

"This is it," she whispered, "Both of you...are so amazing…"

Amaya made the first move;

"Let's get it started! Coral, use Twister!"

"Azura, let's move! Dodge and Shadow Ball!"

Amaya knew _exactly_ what was going through Milo's brain. 'Dodge' could only mean one thing.

"It's Pursuit! Coral, use Dragon Tail!"

"Protect, and Psychic!"

Coral was most definitely nearing her limit. She'd fought and won three rounds already, and each had taken its toll on her. Azura had sustained much less damage over the course of the battle, and the difference at last began to show.

Still, victory would never come _that_ easily.

"Get up, Coral! Give me a big Hydro Pump!"

"MOVE!"

"There she goes! Ice Beam!"

A dozen escape strategies zipped through Milo's brain as Azura sprinted away from the icy attack bearing down on her, but somehow...somehow he just _knew_ what to do.

"Azura, STOP! Take it, and use Dark Pulse!"

The impact of Coral's Ice Beam sent the brave Umbreon skidding across the field, but she kept her feet and fired back with every ounce of Dark energy she could muster.

The attack struck home. Coral cried aloud, as the fans held their breath.

Not even Milo and Amaya could speak, as the mighty Coral began to fall, coming down with a solid thud onto the dirt field of Lily Stadium.

The Lily of the Valley Conference final...had ended.

"Milotic is – is unable to battle! Umbreon is the winner, and the match...the match goes to MILO!"

Presumably, at that moment, the tens of thousands packed into the stadium made some kind of noise. Probably quite a bit of it. Milo and Amaya didn't hear them. They didn't see them.

The two Rookies could only across the field at one another.

One step at a time, they approached each other, meeting in the middle of the field. Numbly, they clasped hands. Milo, his voice shuddering with emotion, ventured;

"...M-'Maya, I…"

"Not here," she cut him off, a tremble in her own voice, "D-don't do this here. Not with everyone watching."

"A...Agreed."

Not trusting themselves to speak any further, Milo and The Hammer finished their handshake and waved ceremoniously to the delirious fans before simply turning and exiting the field. Just like that.

There were interviews, of course, and ceremonies and award presentations. Still, the raw emotion, the reaction that the whole region waited for...never seemed to come.

"It was a good battle," said Milo to one reporter, "My team and I made our fair share of mistakes, but we adapted well and got the job done."

"It showed me what I need to work on," said Amaya to another journalist, "Power alone isn't enough if I don't have the experience to use it properly."

Through all the pomp and circumstance, Milo and Amaya interacted cordially. Normally. As if nothing special at all had happened out there on the battlefield. Just another round between friends.

Kara texted them as the last of the official 'stuff' was wrapping up;

 _Hurry up, you two! We've got a party waiting in Milo's room! - K_

Before they got there, though, something had to happen. The reaction, everything they'd been avoiding since the referee had called and end to the match...it all had to be let out.

Amaya pulled Milo aside into her own hotel room before they got to the party;

"Milo…"

"Amaya, I -"

"Thank you."

The small girl flung her arms around her best friend fiercely, and at last allowed her sobs to eke out. Her body began to tremble, and he returned the embrace fiercely as his tears joined with hers.

There they stood, the two of them, hugging and crying about – about everything. Milo and Amaya. Never before had there been anything quite like the two of them, and now...now at last it had come to a brilliant conclusion, worthy of their incredible accomplishments.

"This year," the Twinleaf Rookie whispered, "It's been the best. It's meant...everything to me."

"I know," Milo whispered back, "Me too. Everything we've done and shared...I'll never forget it. Promise me...Promise you'll keep growing stronger in – in J-Johto. Promise me our next battle...will be even better."

"I promise."

It took a few minutes for the pair to work through their tears. Each had the same thought running through their brain;

How could it end? How could they bring themselves to say goodbye?

No further words were exchanged. When the tears stopped flowing at last, they made their way to Milo's room for the party.

"WOOHOO!"

Kara jumped on them immediately, and Myrian wasn't far behind. Immediately, the cloud of despair that hung over the Rookies dissipated, and they threw themselves wholeheartedly into their celebrating.

Eventually, once the Pokémon were brought out, things got so out of hand that the whole affair moved down to the training space so as to avoid trashing the poor room.

 _Hey!_ Azura barked over her shoulder as a wayward Water Gun struck her from behind, interrupting her polite conversation with Verdante, _Jet, keep yourself to yourself for once!_

 _Ha! Tell that to Drake the cowardly Dragon! He's the one running away!_

Technically, it was the truth; the Water Gun had been aimed perfectly for the spot that Milo's Garchomp had only just vacated.

"TERRAAAA!"

Azura wasn't the only one disturbed by the impromptu sparring match – Terrus' 'rematch' against Blaze had been impeded as well, and the Continent Pokémon was giving the Floatzel an earful, as usual.

"Heh," Milo just chuckled as he watched the proceedings, having not the heart (or the death wish) to get in the middle of it, "Some things never change, I guess."

"RAAHH!"

Jet's roar of victory drew all (or at least most) eyes to him yet again as Drake crashed to the ground. Like a flash, who should appear at the Mach Pokémon's side but Florence. Kara's Gardevoir forcibly held the Dragon to the ground as she looked him over;

 _Hold still, you fool! You could be injured!_

 _Gah, get off me! Why the hell do you care?_

 _Is it so hard to believe that perhaps I cannot abide the thought of you injuring yourself?_

That certainly raised a few eyebrows, not least of all Drake's. Milo and Kara exchanged knowing winks as they turned to watch;

 _Uh...what? I mean...thanks. I guess._

Taken aback by an expression of genuine gratitude, the Embrace Pokémon's cheeks flushed, and she stepped back.

 _Finally!_ The oblivious Jet just wanted to get on with their little bout, and fired of a Water Gun to get Florence out of the way so they could resume, _Quit messing around and let's fight already!_

 _NO!_ Like a flash, Drake shot off the ground and jumped into the path of the (admittedly rather weak) attack, taking it with a grunt before it could hit the Fairy-type.

"Whoa," Milo couldn't help but speak up, "Drake, you cool, pal? We all good here?"

 _You watery punk! Don't you dare attack her!_

 _S-Sir Drake_ , mumble Florence confusedly, her cheeks now bright red, _Why would you do such a thing for my sake?_

Still facing away from the half-Psychic, Drake responded roughly, forcing the words out one by one;

 _Maybe I...I just don't...want you to...to get hurt...either._

"WOO! Finally!"

Kara could restrain herself no longer, and the young Performer leapt forward to embrace the embarrassed Pokémon duo. Amazingly, not even this romantic development could derail the raucous celebrations that were now in full swing.

Amaya wound up having to pay a small repair fee – Coral versus Granite proved rather destructive – but still the party went on for hours as the Rookies celebrated not just the amazing final they'd contested, but their star-studded Rookie year altogether.

They partied for the first battle they'd ever fought, on the fields behind the Twinleaf School. They partied for their many Gym badge victories, and even the few losses. They partied for all the Rookie Challenge tournaments they'd crushed. Just for good measure, they partied for Kara's success on the Rookie Performer circuit. They partied for friends, for family, for hardships overcome, and for friends gained.

Hours and hours later, when all their not-quite-limitless energy was at last spent, they slept like logs. After all, they'd certainly earned it.

 **Milo**

"Here. Looks like we're in terminal B, down this way."

"Same. International departures."

The next morning, it came time at last to set off. For Milo and Kara, Kalos awaited. For Amaya, Johto held the next challenge. The partying and contagious joy of the night before had ebbed gracefully into a thoughtful silence amongst the three young people as they made their way to the international flights departure terminal at Lily Island's airport.

After a minute or two, Amaya stopped.

"This is me. Gate B7."

She and Milo locked eyes. For better or worse, the moment had come. The flight to Johto was already boarding.

The Twinleaf girl took a deep, shuddering breath.

"Here I go."

"Amaya…"

Milo wanted to say _something_ , but there were too many words, all jumbled together in his brain. Too many words to say. He could only stare at his friend, his mouth hanging open.

"...I get it, Milo," The Hammer said softly, "Me too. Just...keep in touch, yeah? And remember that promise."

"I will," he responded, "Next time...we'll both be stronger."

Amaya nodded, and then turned to Kara;

"Good luck with this kid. Kick some ass in Kalos."

Teary-eyed herself, Kara hugged her friend tightly, "I will, 'Maya. The same to you. Johto won't know what hit them."

With one last breath to set herself, Amaya seemed to flick a switch within herself. She picked up her bag, turned on her heel, and strode firmly to the boarding gate. Within seconds, she vanished from view, and Milo and Kara stood watching.

"She'll do great," said Kara firmly.

"Yeah."

Milo wiped away his own tears with a smile, "I just...have to make sure I can keep up. Let's – let's go, Kara. Let's do it, let's go to Kalos. Our Rookie year may have ended, but...but I know there's plenty to come!"

His smile grew fierce now, and he picked up his own bag. Hand in hand, Milo and Kara made their way confidently to their own flight. Before they knew it, they took off.

As they left the Sinnoh region far below them, Milo grew more and more excited. He sat back, letting the plane's gentle motion lull him to sleep, and thought to himself;

 _My dreams haven't changed. My team and I...we WILL be the best!_

Many Trainers before him had aspired to this goal, but...but there was something special about this young man. All those who had met him along the way agreed. A new star was on the rise, and the world would soon know the name – the name of Milo and his Blue Umbreon!

 **-Fin-**

 **Author's Notes**

 **Hands up if you got the classic literature reference in the chapter title! Ditto for the football (soccer) reference at the end of Amaya's semifinal!**

 **The more I write big battles, the higher my self-standards get and the more difficult they feel to write well. Nowadays, I can usually only write one or two rounds of a battle in one sitting, just because of how much goes into every detail. I also do my best to actually feel the emotions I'm writing. That means, for huge battles like this, I put myself in the same hyper-pressure mentality as the Trainers, which is** _ **exhausting**_ **. But hey, no regrets! When I read back through these scenes after the fact, I'm convinced that the result is worth the effort, no question.**

 **As far as the subdued ending of the Order of Shadows business - it's purposely quiet. The Order has been shrouded in some degree of mystery and questionable motives all along, and I figured it would be fitting to give that subplot a muted, open-ended signoff, while still suggesting an answer to people's concerns about Karen 'getting away' with her actions. Not satisfied? Consider that a reason to read the sequel! Hehe...shameless plug, shameless plug...**

 **Alright, since this is the final chapter, here's the emotional sign-off. Brace yourself.**

 **At the** _ **very**_ **beginning, Milo and the Blue Umbreon was just proof to myself that I could write a standard OC Trainer story like any other. Fortunately, my ambitions for this story grew dramatically as I received guidance, criticism, and inspiration from this fantastic community, which has helped me understand concepts like pacing, character depth, portrayal of emotion, tone and tension, and many more.**

 **This is all to say, thank you. Thank you.**

 **I'm immeasurably grateful to you, readers both new and old, who have joined me on this journey, have watched it (and me) develop, and have followed along from meeting Milo and Azura in Chapter 1 through the grand finale of Chapter 28. It really does mean so much to me as a writer.**

 **I hope you'll accompany me once more as I transition to a much more ambitious undertaking; the sequel to Milo and the Blue Umbreon, which should be up by the time you read this - Milo and the Big Six.**


End file.
